In the year of the Centenary of the Air Force, the 32nd Wing also celebrates its 30 years of presence in the Capitanata region.
On Saturday, July 1st, at the airport facility in Amendola (FG), the headquarters of the 32nd Wing The commemoration of the Air Force took place at the 30th anniversary of the presence of the Department on the Foggian territory.
The celebrations began with the solemn flag-waving ceremony and, subsequently, the laying of an olive wreath to honor the memory of the fallen. The presence of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Squadrone General Luca Goretti, Accompanied by the Commander of the Air Force, General of the Air Force Alberto Biavati, and the Commander of the Combat Forces, General of the Air Division Luigi Del Bene.
It was a very emotional event for all the Military Authorities and the Combatant and Arms Associations intervened, whose participation was an expression of a decade-long closeness to 32nd Wing and, consequently, to the Air Force.
To seal the celebratory event, the presentation of the book “For 30 years in the skies of Capitanata“ edited by 5th Communications Department of the Air Force General Staff and curated by Aeronautical Magazine.
The Chief of Staff of the Air Force (formerly Commander of the 32nd Squadron from July 17, 2003 to September 7, 2005) also attended the presentation of the book, which also saw the participation of Commander of the 32nd Air Wing, Colonel Roberto Massarotto and to numerous “former” Commanders who have taken turns as the leaders of the 32nd Wing since July 1, 1993 to present. A special mention should be made of General Giuliano De Carlo who was the last Commander of the 60th Air Brigade already S.V.B.A.A. (Advanced Basic Flight School Aviogetti) as well as 1st Commander of the Squadron at the base of Amendola.
The book recounts the three decades of the presence in Puglia of what has become, today, one of the flagship Departments of the Armed Forces, a real point of reference not only for other Departments of the AM but also for the Air Forces of partner countries and NATO, as well as the First in Europe to deploy remote-controlled aircraft (APR) and 5th-generation F-35 fighter jets, both in the A version (for conventional take-off and landing) and the B version (for short takeoff and vertical landing). In its drafting, the contributions of Professor Gregory Alegi, university professor and historian, Alessandro Cornacchini, Colonel in retirement and already Director of the Aeronautica magazine and Mr. Giuseppe Di Feo, journalist of Askanews and Officer of the Selected Reserve of the Air Force. The presenter of the presentation was Journalist of the Corriere della Sera, Luca Maria Pernice.
In the circumstances, the General Goretti, He wanted to express his personal appreciation to all the commanders who have succeeded one another in leading the Department and to the staff of the Stormo, recalling that the 32nd has a peculiarity: its staff. Living primarily in the local territory, it links the diverse realities that persist there with the high operational efficiency that characterizes the Department, generating a winning combination of which “I am proud both as head of the Armed Forces and as former commander of the Department. […] In Amendola, the future is already ahead of us; it was here that everything began; the entire Air Force has transformed thanks to the testing ground we have set up on this base with remote-piloted aircraft and fifth-generation aircraft. […] Amendola is the culmination of a process that sees the Armed Forces projected into the future.”
The 32nd Stormtrooper Squadron is organized into three Flight Groups: the 13th with F35 aircraft in versions A and B; the 28th based in Amendola; and the 61st deployed at Sigonella (CT), both equipped with remote-piloted aircraft (APR). It is subordinate to the Combat Forces Command (CFC) in Milan, whose assigned mission is to acquire and maintain the operational readiness of all air and attack and reconnaissance organizations, ensuring the operational efficiency of weapon systems, equipment, and materials, as well as training personnel and continuously updating and optimizing operational procedures, in compliance with the guidelines of higher authorities. The CFC is subordinate to the Air Squadrons Command, which exercises the responsibilities in the area of training, preparing, and operational deployment of its own units, so that they acquire and maintain the planned levels of operational readiness. After achieving Initial Operational Capability (IOC) with the F35 aircraft in 2018. Since 2019, the Air Wing has participated in NATO Air Policing operations outside national borders. Since February 2020, the 32nd Air Wing has been the only unit in the European landscape to operate both F-35A (CTOL) and F-35B (STOVL) aircraft, contributing with the 5th generation aircraft to the Air Expeditionary capability of the Armed Forces. Since January 2022, the 32nd Air Wing has been regularly included in the rotation of the National and NATO Air Surveillance Service. In addition, by also using the MQ9-A Remotely Piloted Aircraft, the Air Wing carries out Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition & Reconnaissance operations, both nationally and in coalition. Finally, through the MB-339 aircraft, the 32nd Air Wing completes the training of APR pilots to maintain an adequate operational level on traditional-wing aircraft.
