From September 14 until 25 Kleine Brogel air base in Belgium was the place to be as the 48^th annual NATO Tiger Meet was hosted by 31 Smaldeel of 10 Tactical Wing. With more then 50 participating aircraft, the NTM is the biggest exercise held by NATO in Europe during 2009.

The Tiger Meet started as an Franco-American initiative by the French Defence Minister Pierre Messner to improve the military co-operation between the two countries in 1961. When the same year RAF 74 Squadron met with nearby based 79^thTactical Fighter Squadron of the USAFE, they were joined by the French Escadre de Chasse 01.012. By accident all three units sported a Tiger in their unit's emblem and was to be the common theme that linked the units; the Tiger Meet was born.

With already eight Tiger Squadrons from six different NATO members in 1962, the following years the Tiger Meet grew from a single day to a multiple days meeting. In 1963 the  Tiger Meet moved to the continent for the first time when 31 Smaldeel based at Kleine Brogel hosted the event for the first time.

Since 1961 the NATO Tiger Association's objective are the promotion of co-operation between the various Air Forces, create better understanding of NATO military objectives and to develop better unit interoperability. Of course networking and the maintenance of strong personal ties between the participants are equally important. In contrary to other organizations  like the TLP, the Tiger Association is no standing or integrated organization within NATO and is organized by the hosting unit on a rotational base. The host also delivers the Chairman of the Tiger Association.

When in 1977 the International Air Tattoo at Greenham Common hosted the Tiger Meet, the Silver Tiger Trophy was donated to the Association. Since then this Trophy is awarded annually to the Tiger Squadron that shows the highest degree of professionalism and Tiger Spirit during the Tiger Meet. The winner is determined by vote of the Detachment Commanders present at each Tiger Meet. The first winner of the Trophy was the Canadian 439 Squadron, then based at Baden-Söllingen in Germany.

During the 90ies the political landscape changed dramatically resulting of the disbandment or withdrawal of some of the founding members of the Tiger Association like the USAFE's 79th TFS and German Air Force JBG 43.

The 2009 Tiger Meet involved daytime operations only, with full combined operations between the different participants of the Tiger Meet. As the scenario was closely integrated with the Army exercise "Pegasus" in South-West Belgium it was also a full joined operation between Land and Air Forces.

With 19 Squadrons from 11 countries and over 50 aircraft and helicopters participating, bringing 800 extra personnel to Kleine Brogel, a massive 800 sorties would be flown in the two weeks. Operations commenced all from deployable containers and tents in the "Tiger Village" as the participants would encounter in a real deployment.

Being a single (non-classified) scenario, adapted to the real world operations the participants experience in the current operational employments, the missions where changed by the results of the day and covered airspace in France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany, also the training areas above the North Sea were used.

The morning "shadow" waves would be used to train between the participants individually. A Combined Air Operations (COMAO) mission would be flown in the afternoon involving the full array of air-to-air missions, Large Force Employments, Close Air Support (CAS), Convoy Protection, Non-Combatant Evacuation (NEO) and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR).  

F-16s from 349 Smaldeel and the Operational Conversion Unit from Kleine Brogel, AH-109s from Wing Heli and SF-260s from 5 Smaldeel acted as so called Red Forces during the exercise. During the second week 2 Swiss F-5E Tiger IIs joined as well as an E-3 AWACS  operating from Kleine Brogel. For creating an even more realistic training environment the German Polygone ECM Range deployed simulated air to ground threats to the exersise area as well as so called smokey SAMS's were used. France participated with their state of the art Crotale NG.

Next to the intensive air operations from the base a large series of public events took place on base. With an Open Door/Families day and a VIP/Spotters Day thousands of spectators where expected. So the base own together with the local civil emergency services worked trough a tailored Post Crash Management exercise before the Tiger Meet started in case the unthinkable should happen and there would be a emergency involving multiple victims on base.