PAT
PAT
ICAO Airline Designator & Telephony
Operating Company
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, PRIORITY AIR TRANSPORT (DAVISON AVIATION COMMAND) (FORT BELVOIR, VA)
Country of Origin
United States
Why PAT
PAT is Priority Air Transport, the US Army's executive airlift for senior leaders, flown from Joint Base Andrews. Other Army aviation units carrying priority passengers use the same call sign, which is why the Black Hawk in the January 2025 Washington collision was PAT 25.
The Department of the Army's Priority Air Transport, commonly utilizing the PAT callsign, is an exclusive military airlift division headquartered at Davison Army Airfield in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Operating under the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, the unit is tasked with the rapid, highly secure global transport of top-ranking military officials and senior government executives. The command operates a specialized VIP-configured fleet that includes customized Gulfstream and Cessna Citation business jets.