Prehistory
The first aerobatic display team in Portuguese Air Force is Dragoes (Dragons) formed in the mid of 1950's and flies with four F-84G Thunderjet. Team's planes have no special color scheme.
In 1958 this team is replaced with new one - Sao Jorge (Saint George) from B.A.2 airbase in Ota, like in the legend about St. George, who kills the Dragon. Again the new team flies with four Thunderjets. At the beginning team's planes painted with green and red in the nose, but later they painted in dark blue at the upper surface and red at the bottom. This team exists till 1961.
Asas de Portugal (Wings of Portugal) History
Again tradition of Portuguese aerobatic teams is reestablished in 1977, when the Air Force Chief of Staff, gives an order to create aerobatic team from 102 Squadron, who will represent the Portuguese Air Force at Royal International Air Tattoo in United Kingdom. The team receives Asas de Portugal name, flying with six Cessna T-37C training planes. Planes are specially colored in red, green and white. In 1992 during T-37's retirement, Asas de Portugal is disbanded. Since then the team have about 146 airshows and 40 foreign demonstrations.
On 27 June 1997, the team from 103 Squadron, flying with ex-Luftwaffe Alpha Jet training planes takes part during 45th year celebration of Portuguese Air Force in Sintra. Then the aviation fans begin to speak, that Asas de Portugal will be reestablished, but this is not happened. A year later this team flying with no special colored planes was disbanded.
In 2005 finally the Asas de Portugal reactivated like an official aerobatic display team of Portuguese Air Force. The team consists of four specially colored Alpha Jets in white, red and green colors, but only two of them perform at airshows. In some fly-pasts the team flies with four-ship formation, but this is not official practice for now. The team is from 103 Squadron, at B.A. 11 airbase in Beja.
