bpost honours the Belgian Air Force with a series of new stamps. Today, the unique stamp sheetlet was presented in collaboration with the Belgian Air Force and the Mirage Team BD 09, as a tribute to the use of Belgian military aircraft during humanitarian missions. The stamp is also a tribute to all air force crew members and ground personnel.
The sheet is composed of five stamps, each depicting a legendary aircraft or helicopter of the Belgian Air Force that played a key role in humanitarian missions. In 2020, the BD 09 team submitted a proposal to the philatelic department of bpost, which annually issues a limited number of theme stamps. Their entry was selected for the 2022 stamp collection.
One of the stamps, for example, is dedicated to the C-130, which flew back and forth between Pakistan and the Afghan capital Kabul exactly one year ago as part of Operation Red Kite. “This airlift operation to evacuate compatriots and residents of friendly countries is a humanitarian operation of our air force that is still fresh in the memory,” the air force said.
On August 30, the SummerEXPO will open one last time at Koksijde Air Force Base. On that occasion, a temporary post office is set up in the Sea King helicopter. Visitors can purchase the stamp sheets on site and have them provided with a unique day postmark.
