F-104S "NODA 40" Nucleo Operativo Difesa Aerea (NODA) - Air Defence Operational Cell - 1984

F-104S, construction number 783-1047, serial number MM6747, model 783, built by Aeritalia at Turin-Caselle
delivery date AMI 11.02.1971; 36-45 36 Stormo "Riccardo Seidl" 4.11.1974-2.7.1975; IRAN till 8.7.1976; delivery date 156°Gruppo 8.7.1976; 36-37 02.1977-18.12.1980 36 Stormo
IRAN 18.12.1980-1.10.1981; delivery date 156°Gruppo 1.10.1981, 36-40 11.1981-29.7.1982; NODA 40 10.1983-19.9.1984
delivery date 18°Gruppo 3.8.1984, 37-40 18 Gruppo CIO/CB 37 Stormo "Cesare Toschi" 21.12.1984-4.4.1986. IRAN + F-104S ASA conversion 4.4.1986-4.11.1987
delivery date 18 Gruppo CIO/CB 37 Stormo "Cesare Toschi" 4.11.1987, 37-05 08.1988-8.7.1991; IRAN 4.12.1991-2.8.1993; delivery date 18°Gruppo 2.8.19/93, 37-24 27.8.1993-24.5.1998
"30.000" ore 18 Gruppo (on rudder) June 1996; last flight 21.4.1998 with 4.169 flight hours, withdrawn from use and stored Grosseto 13.8.1998
37-24 stored Grosseto 1998, south of 20°Gruppo buildings, 2001 noted; 37-24 dump Cervia AB March 2004 noted.

copyright @ Grondstein collection

With the constitution of the NODA (Nucleo Operativo Difesa Aerea - Air Defence Operational Cell) at Gioia del Colle in September 1984
the potential to resurrect the 18° was identified. Initially this unit was formed by F-104S aircraft of the 156°Gruppo C.B.
(Caccia Bombardieri - Fighter Bomber), which was converting onto the new Tornado IDS.
The aircraft featured, besides the NODA titles, the badge with the three white flashes of the 18°, and in June 1984 the NODA assumed its new denomination.
On 28 March 1985, just a few months after its re-constitution, the 18° Gruppo was presented with its Bandiera di Guerra (standard).