The following pictures were taken in the morning of Jul. 11, 2009, by Giovanni Maduli, who went again to Urbe airport to see the departure of the US Army CH-47s that escorted the “Marine One” VH-60N helicopters carrying the POTUS Obama during its visit in Rome and L’Aquila for the G8 summit. Noteworthy, the CH-47 “89-0143” sports a skull with cross bones badge underneath the fuselage (enlarged pic). A C-17 overflying Urbe airport during landing procedure at Rome Ciampino airport was also photographed: two Globemasters were scheduled to arrive in Ciampino on Jul. 11 to carry equipment used by the POTUS and his staff during official visits.
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
The first two Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets, initially stationed at Morris Air National Guard Base, Tucson, to support pilot training, have now been transferred to Slovakia. The arrival of the first two F-16 […]
Greece formally accepted an offer for 20 F-35A Lightning II jets with an option for an additional 20 aircraft. On July 25, 2024, the Greek government formalized its decision to procure 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 […]
The Italian Air Force has emphasized since last year that it requires more F-35A and F-35B jets. Public data indicates that it may eventually acquire 20 additional Lightning II aircraft. Last year, the Italian Air […]