Among the events that marked the history of the Armed Forces in the 1960s, a period during which the Italian Air Force began to engage in international contexts by participating in missions conducted under the aegis of the United Nations, it is worth noting the Kindu massacre in Congo. On 11th November 1961 thirteen military personnel from the crews of two C-119 aircraft belonging to the 46th Air Brigade were brutally slaughtered during one of the many humanitarian transport missions carried out on behalf of the UN.
In the post-war era, foreign operations became a constant, following the geopolitical upheaval that occurred in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, breaking the bipolar balance and giving rise to a series of new conflicts in which Italy and the Italian Air Force participated as part of multinational coalitions.
The first such intervention took place during the Gulf War of 1990-1991 when a Tornado aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire in the skies over Kuwait. Subsequently, the Italian Air Force took part in operations in Somalia and the former Yugoslavia, where a G-222 aircraft was hit by an air-to-air missile and crashed while involved in a humanitarian mission.
In the post-Cold War global scenario, thanks to its force projection capabilities, the Italian Air Force actively participated in numerous multinational operations launched by the international community in an attempt to resolve the frequent crises occurring in various parts of the world: Balkans, Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo, Eritrea, UNMEE (United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and East Timor) and INTERFET (International Forces in East Timor).
On 11th September 2001 the attack on the Twin Towers once again disrupted international balances and opened the door to new scenarios, including the intervention in Afghanistan. The Italian Air Force immediately participated in this mission with the establishment of the 4th Autonomous Operational Unit (AOU) in Bagram, Afghanistan, and the 5th AOU in Manas, Kyrgyzstan.
The Italian Air Force’s foreign commitments intensified in 2003 with the ‘Ancient Babylon’ operation in Iraq. Italian Air Force personnel were engaged in the 6th AOU in Tallil and the 7th AOU in Abu Dhabi. In addition to the HH-3F helicopters of the 15th CSAR (Combat Search And Rescue) Wing and the C-130J transport aircraft of the 46th Air Brigade, remotely piloted Predator aircraft from the 28th Remotely Piloted Aircraft Squadron of the 32nd Wing were deployed for the first time, heralding a new era in which the use of the acronym ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance), with all that it entails, became increasingly common.
Afghanistan remained a focal point, with Italian Air Force participation in both Operation Enduring Freedom and then the activities within ISAF (International Security Assistance Force). Personnel assigned to ASAAT (Airbase Support Air Advisory Team) and MI-17AAT (Airbase Support-MI-17 Air Advisory Team) teams at Shindand played a crucial role in training the personnel of the emerging Afghan Air Force.
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