F-104S "NODA 47" Nucleo Operativo Difesa Aerea (NODA) - Air Defence Operational Cell - 1984

F-104S, construction number 783-1218, serial number MM69188, model 783, built by Aeritalia at Turin-Caselle
production line 26.4.1977; delivery date AMI 24.8.1977; 4-1 9 Gruppo 4 Stormo 31.8.1977-31.1.1979; delivery date 155°Gruppo 51 Stormo 31.1.1979, 51-54 03.1979-25.11.1981
Caselle for IRAN from 25.11.1981-22.7.1982; delivery date 156°Gruppo 36 Stormo at Gioia del Colle 29.7.1982, 36-47 08.1982-1983
NODA '47' 4.11.1983-1.10.1984 NODA (Nucleo Operativo Difesa Aerea) 36°Stormo; 37-47 1.10.1984-09.1985; 37-04 05.1986-1.7.1986 18 Gruppo CIO/CB 37°Stormo "Cesare Toschi"
F-104S ASA modification and IRAN 21.4.1986-14.9. 1987; delivery date 102°Gruppo 23.9.1987, 5-23 07.1988-23.3.1991 102 Gruppo CIO 5°Stormo Caccia "Giuseppe Cenni"
IRAN 31.7.1991-7.6.1993; April 1991 exchange with the Spanish Air Force ALA 12 (121 Escuadron), flying the EF-18A Hornet from Torrejon; IRAN 31.7.1991-7.6.1993
delivery date 18°Gruppo 22.6.1993, 37-22 27.8.1993-31.7.1997 18 Gruppo CIO/CB 37°Stormo "Cesare Toschi"; delivery date 311°Gruppo 7.6.1997, RS-06 17.7.2997-11.1997
IAT Fairford demo 19.7.1997; 3.10.1997 delivered to Grosseto (last flight Pratica-Grosseto) and after some days declared FUR for parts, withdrawn from use 6.10.1997 with 2.646 flight hours
never converted to ASA-M; RS-06 dump Grosseto noted 2001 and 10.2002; RS-06 dump Cervia for CFE 13.1.2003, March 2004 last noted, scrapped.

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).