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Italy’s Reaper drones to be “weaponized” May 29, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Military Aviation.
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Although it could take a year or more to complete the process, Italy’s Reaper drones could soon be given the official go ahead to procure the Hellfire missiles and laser guided bombs that Rome has requested since the first MQ-9 drone was delivered to the Italian Air Force last year.

According to a WSJ article, the Obama administration has already given Congress a notification of a proposed sale of six kits needed to arm Italy’s fleet of Predator B (MQ-9 Reaper) drones and a formal notification should follow as soon as this week.

Even if the sale could still be blocked (as it could open the door for similar sales to other allies, making foreign sales of drone technologies, more difficult to control), a stop is unlikely, according to lawmakers and others familiar with the matter that talked to the WSJ, meaning that Italy will be, besides UK, the only other U.S. ally to fly armed drones in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The Italian Air Force has ordered six Reapers to be used in surveillance tasks in both Homeland Security and Expeditionary scenarios. The first two Reaper UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) took part in Operation Unified Protector in Libya while the remaining four will be delivered by the end of 2012.

The Reaper is more capable than its predecessor Predator A (four of those are currently flying in support of ISAF in Afghanistan, after serving in Iraq): it carries a Multi-spectral Targeting System (MTS-B), that is a suite of sensors integrating an infrared sensor, a color/monochrome daylight TV camera, and laser designator and illuminator. It is also equipped with the Lynx IIE Synthetic Aperture Radar although the system will be implemented with the impending required software upgrade.

The U.S. Reapers can be armed with both AGM-114 Hellfire anti-armour missiles and GBU-12/38/49 laser-guided and GPS-guided PGMs (Precision Guided Munitions) that could be important to protect Italian and NATO troops operating on the ground.

“On several occasions, if we had armed drones we would have saved human lives” said an Italian drone pilot during a media briefing in June 2011.

Italy has about 4,200 military in Afghanistan, most of which in the western part of the country.

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“You are cleared to the scrap yard”: Italy’s leased combat-proven F-16s returned to the U.S. to be cockooned again. May 18, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Italian Air Force, Military Aviation.
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Updated May 18, 2012 17.00 GMT

On May 8, eight of the remaining U.S. F-16 fighter jets leased by the Italian Air Force to strengthen Italy’s air defense until the full maturity of the Eurofighter Typhoon made a stopover at Lajes Field, Azores, on their way back to the U.S.

The aircraft had departed from Trapani, in Sicily, and headed towards North America as “Retro 31″, a flight of six “Vipers” (as the F-16 is nicknamed in the fighter pilots community) accompanied by a 22ARW KC-135R tanker and a supporting Italian C-130.

The remaining two planes, used as spares and arriving via Monte Real near Leiria, in the western coast of mainland Portogallo, returned to Trapani where they will remain with the past 8 ones for a few more weeks, until the Italian Air Force officially retires the type on May 25.

Miguel Santos, a retired PoAF Lt.Col. and an aircraft spotter and photographer who lives in Terceira island, Azores, took the following interesting images.

Image credit: Miguel Santos

The Italian Vipers, were returned to the to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, where the aircraft will be kept in storage by the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG)  at the local “Boneyard”.

Efficient, combat proven planes, once again cocooned, in a scrap yard.

Under Peace Caesar program, the Italian Air Force purchased a total 45,000 flying hours between 2004 and 2010 (then extended to 47,000 until the first half of 2012), with all the necessary logistic support, of a fleet composed by 30 F-16A Block 15 ADF (Air Defense Fighter) upgraded with the “Falcon Up” and “Falcon 2020” modifications, 3 F-16B Block 10 OCU (Operational Capabilities Upgrade) and a single F-16B ADF. Another 4 twin seats airframes would have been delivered to the ItAF to be cannibalized for spare parts.

The first batch of F-16s were returned to the U.S. in 2010.

During the recent air war in Libya, the Italian F-16ADF of the 18° Gruppo flew more than 1,559 flying hours and 348 missions since the early stages of US-coordinated Operation Odyssey Dawn begun on Mar. 19, 2011.

Flying also in a “heavy” configuration, that included two drop tanks, four AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles) and two AIM-9L Sidewinders, the Squadron’s “Vipers” escorted the first Italian SEAD packages inside the Libyan airspace. With the beginning of NATO’s Operation Unified Protector at 06.00GMT on Mar. 31, 2011 and until the end of the air campaign at 23.59 GMT on Oct. 31, 2011, the Italian F-16s, alongside all the other Italian Air Force assets under the Task Group Air “Birgi”, flew air defense and combat air patrol missions required to enforce the No-Fly Zone over Libya and to ensure the air superiority needed to successfully accomplish the assigned mission.

Furthermore, in connection with the Libyan crisis, the 18th Squadron ensured the Quick Reaction Alert service at an heightened level of readiness with F-16s ready to take off in few minutes in order to intercept and face any suspicious aircraft.

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M-346 advanced combat trainer first weapon delivery tests April 24, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Military Aviation.
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Taken at Decimomannu airbase last week, by Gian Luca Onnis, the following picture is the only available to date, of an M-346 advanced combat trainer flying with a BRD (Bombs and Rocket Dispencer).

Such pod, used by several aircraft types, is used to carry BDU-33 or Mk-106 practice bombs. The BDU-33 are used to “clone” the same launch characteristics of the 500-lb MK-82. Each BDU-33 weighs 25 pounds, has a teardrop shaped metal body with a tube cavity lengthwise through the center, a conical after body, and a cruciform type fin in the aft end of the bomb body. A firing pin, inertia tube, and striker plate are separate components of th e bomb. A receptacle is located forward of the center of gravity to install a single suspension lug if required.

The Mk-106s is a 5-pound thin-cased cylindrical bomb used to simulate the high-drag (retarded) Mk-82 Snakeye bombs. It is composed by a bomb body, a retractable suspension lug, a firing device, and box-type conical fins.

Since the picture shows the “Master” returing to the deployment base from a range sortie without any practice bomb, it is impossible to say which type of weapon delivery was being tested with the new plane. Nevertheless, the image is interesting since it proves that the combat trainer, selected by the Israeli Air Force, by the Republic of Singapore Air Force as well as the Italian Air Force, is currently involved in its first live firing tests.

In the following picture, two weird devices (most probably cameras used to film the weapon delivery) can be seen.

Image credit: Gian Luca Onnis

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Photo report: French Mirage 2000s and Italian Typhoons at Grosseto airbase April 18, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Military Aviation.
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Taken at Grosseto airbase by Alessandro Fucito, the following pictures show the two French Air Force Mirage 2000s that paid a visit to the local-based 4° Stormo’s Eurofighter Typhoons on Apr. 12.

Noteworthy, the two French Mirages still wore the markings of the EC. 01/012, a unit previously based at BA103 Cambrai and disbanded on Mar. 30, 2012 (the SPA 162 “Tiger” banner and traditions was attached to the EC.01/007 “Provence” flying the Rafale at Saint-Dizier).

Image credit: Alessandro Fucito

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Photo: a dual seater AMX with a weird national roundel…. April 5, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Italian Air Force, Military Aviation.
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The following picture was taken at Decimomannu airbase by Giovanni Maduli in March 2011.

It shows an Italian Air Force AMX-T (belonging to the 32° Stormo, based at Amendola) landing at the end of a training sortie in one of the Sardinian firing ranges.

Look at the roundel: it’s a bit faded, to such an extent it doesn’t seem to be the low-visibility Italian tri-colored national insignia.

Image credit: Giovanni Maduli

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Photo: Tornado night take off with full afterburner April 3, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Italian Air Force, Military Aviation.
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Here’s what a flight of Italian Tornados taking off from Decimomannu airbase for a night mission looks like.

All the images were taken by Giampaolo Mallei on Apr. 2, 2012.

All images by Giampaolo Mallei

 

 

 

Photo: A Civil Protection AW139 lands on a pier (in no-parking area) March 28, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Helicopters.
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The following pictures were taken by Giovanni Maduli in Civitavecchia harbour, where an Agusta Westland AW139 belonging to the Protezione Civile (Italian Civil Protection) landed on Feb. 24, 2012.

Although is a matter of perspective, it’s somehow funny that the Government helicopter seems to have been parked in a no-parking zone in the picture below.

Above images: Giovanni Maduli

The chopper, registered I-DPCA, a registration carried in the past by a service’s A109AII, is used for reconnaissance and transport missions. It was also spotted at Isola del Giglio, where it took part to the rescue efforts following the disaster of Costa Concordia.

On Mar. 8, 2012, even the Italian Air Force received its first of 10 AW139s. Designated HH-139A the medium twin engine helicopter will replace the ageing AB-212 and HH-3F in the search and rescue role across the nation and complement the HH-101 “Caesar”, that will be used in the C-SAR (Combat SAR) role in the future.

The Italian HH-139A is the first example of the military variant of the AW139 and includes several improvements: a brand new heavy duty landing gear, secure communications suite, integrated defensive aids suite, hoist, search light, wire cutters, nose mounted FLIR, cargo hook, loudspeaker system and emergency floatation gear.

Image credit: Alessandro Fucito

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“Yes we can”: KC-767 refueling another KC-767 March 21, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Italian Air Force, Military Aviation.
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Some of the readers of this blog have noticed that the text “Yes we can”, the catchphrase used by Barack Obama in his concession speech on Jan. 8, 2008, is written on the nose of the last KC-767A tanker (the MM62228/14-03) delivered to the Italian Air Force.

Indeed, more than any other one, the slogan that accompanied the Obama campaign epitomizes the proudness of the 14° Stormo (Wing) for the achievement the IOC (Initial Operational Capability) with the new aircraft in both assigned roles and the capability of the tanker, on which the future U.S. KC-46 will be based, to refuel both planes equipped with a refueling probe (with the hose and drogue system as the KC-130J) and those with a receptacle (using the flying boom, moved with the adveniristic remote vision system).

The use of the flying boom is a first in the Italian Air Force but the 14° Stormo has already conducted aerial-refueling operations using a “company KC-767″ (a tanker belonging to the same Wing) as receiver, as the following images show.

Image credit: Italian Air Force

Noteworthy, the “Yes we can” follows the “We have a dream” text sported by the first tanker delivered by Boeing with a few years of delay, the MM62229/14-04, to express the wish of the Italian Air Force to quickly return to support the nation’s power projection capability lost with the retirement of the B-707TT in 2008.

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A brand new, combat-proven, next generation tanker: on board Italy’s Boeing KC-767A March 18, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Italian Air Force, Military Aviation.
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Although based on a quite mature civil airliner, the brand new KC-767 is a revolutionary type of aerial refueler. Indeed, in the KC-46 variant, it will be used by the U.S. Air Force as the NextGen Tanker to replace the KC-135E Stratotanker.

The aircraft, equipped with both the sixth generation flying boom (based on the one of the American KC-10), and three hose and drogue stations, is be able to refuel both aircraft equipped with onboard receptacle and those with a refueling probe.

The Italian Air Force, that presented the new aircraft to the media on Mar. 16, has received 4 such (long awaited) planes, used for strategic transportation (of both materials and weapons) and air-to-air refueling (AAR), whereas a MEDEVAC (Medical Evacuation) capability will be developed in the future.

The aircraft is operated by the 14° Stormo (Wing) based at Pratica di Mare airbase, near Rome, and has already achieved the IOC (Initial Operational Capability) in both the Full Cargo, Combi and Full Pax configurations, with the FOC (Final Operational Capability) in all the current roles expected by the end of the year.

However, in May 2011, few weeks after being delivered, the KC-767 had its “baptism of fire” in Libya, boosting NATO’s AAR capability by supporting Italian Eurofighter, Tornado IDS and ECR, and AMX involved in Operation Unified Protector.

With the help of the RSV (Reparto Sperimentale Volo – Italian Test Wing), the new tanker has already been qualified with all the tactical airplanes (“tacair”) of the Italian Air Force that use the hose and drogue system, and it has also conducted “buddy operations” using the flying boom to refuel another KC-767A. Qualification with foreign planes will be conducted in the near future, even if no roadmap has been defined yet.

Unlike all the previous boom-equipped tankers, the KC-767 uses an adveniristic remote boom operator’s station located behind the cockpit where boom operators, operate both the hoses and the flying boom by means of joysticks and images from a series of cameras mounted on the aircraft’s fuselage.

“With the KC-767, the Italian Air Force has acquired new capabilities that bring the service to the same level as the most advanced air forces of the world” Gen. Tiziano Tosi, chief of the Comando Squadra Aerea (Operational Forces Command), said.

“The new tanker integrates all the other solutions adopted by the Air Force to give all the Defense assets a high degree of mobility, needed to cope with the tasks undertaken by the country as part of coalitions within international scenarios” Tosi said, who explained that “the new fleet is an effective strategic solution to ensure quick and frequent movement of forces over long distances with significant payloads.”

In order to train in the same way it operates “in theatre”, the Italian Air Force is studying the possibility to keep one of its KC-767 in flight for several hours each day (or at least whenever some training flight is in progress) to give all the tacair planes involved in the daily sorties the opportunity to refuel as they would if they were involved in a real operation.

“Train as you fight, fight as you train”.

All the pictures in this article were taken by the author during the media presentation at Pratica di Mare and the AAR sortie inside the D-84 area, in the southern Tyrrhenian sea to refuel two Tornado IDSs, two AMXs and two Eurofighter Typhoons.

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C-27J slippery runway surface landing and take off training in Norway February 29, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in Italian Air Force.
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The Italian Air Force has recently conducted training activity on frozen runway at Bardufoss, Norway, with a C-27J, pilots and crews belonging to the 98° Gruppo (Squadron) of the 46^ Brigata Aerea (Air Brigade).

It was the first time that the Spartan was involved in this kind of training, previously undertaken by the Italian C-130Js and G-222s, whose purpose is to acquire or keep cold weather environment ops as well as “slippery runway surface landing and take off” currencies required to operate in the current out-of-area scenarios as Afghanistan and Kosovo.

Actually, the capability to operate on frozen runways can be important during domestic activities as well: when snow storms and icing conditions prevent normal flight operations, the ability to reach certain remote airfields can allow the supply of relief goods such as food, water and medicines.

Image credit: 46^ Brigata Aerea

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