The Luftwaffe Jagdgeschwader 72 (JG72) "Westfalen" was stationed at Hopsten Air Base. Originally, the unit was put into service as Jagdbombergeschwader 36 (JBG36) but they transitioned into a fighter squadron from 1991. After the decommissioning on 31 January 2002, the 2nd Staffel of JG72 continued until mid-2006 as the Fluglehrzentrum F-4F (FLZ, F-4F) or F-4F flight training center, the JG72 patch on the intake continued. This 3743 was in its last phase of scrapping at its homebase.