For the Ghedi “Red Devils”, the prestigious milestone of 1,000 flight hours for their assigned F-35s marks a new starting point towards increasingly prestigious objectives.
On 2 July last, in the presence of civil, military and religious authorities of the province of Brescia, the 6th Wing of Ghedi he celebrated the achievement of the first 1,000 flight hours carry out F-35 “Lightning II” aircraft” issued to the air base.
It was 14 June 2022 when the first aircraft landed on the runway of the Ghedi Military Airport Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) allocated to the 6th Wing. An air superiority aircraft by virtue of its low radar observability characteristics (Stealth), of the capabilities of the onboard sensors, of the state-of-the-art avionics suite capable of integrating and fusing into a single “digital organism” the high detection and identification capability, the very high engagement precision, and the net-centricity.
With this new Weapon System, the 6th Wing has effectively initiated a new “omni-role” operational life cycle to measure up to operational scenarios (present and future) of much greater complexity, dynamism and density of threats to be faced, for the protection of Italian territory, its airspace and its national assets, as well as for safeguarding the safety of the entire national citizenry.
For the Ghedi “Red Devils”, the prestigious milestone of 1,000 flight hours of the supplied F-35s, whilst on the one hand certainly representing an ambitious milestone, on the other also constitutes a new starting point towards increasingly prestigious objectives. The transition between the Tornado aircraft and the F-35s currently underway at Ghedi is the expression of an innovation and constant transformation that, on a broader spectrum, the Italian Air Force has pursued since its establishment back in 1923.
Various are the training activities in which the 6th Wing has participated since it has been equipped with the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. Among these, the “Falcon Strike” in 2022, “Joint Stars 2023” and the ’Arctic Challenge“ in May 2023, participating in the largest and most complex exercise organised at high latitudes. Also worthy of mention is the trans-flight that the Italian Air Force made in August 2023 to redeploy its air assets to Japan, at the Komatsu Air Base, which featured the F-35s of the 6th Wing. Since August 2023, however, the 6th Wing has deployed to the Amendola airfield the personnel, aircraft and equipment of the 102nd Flight Group to help ensure the service of National Airspace Surveillance, seamlessly ensuring the readiness of its assets (QRA).
Last September, the Unit deployed its assets F-35in Poland on the Italian Air Force “One Force F-35” mission, as part of the Italian contingent deployed in the operation NATO of Enhanced Air Policing, at the Malbork air base.
In March 2024, the 6th Wing took part in the “Typhoon Flag” exercise, accumulating over 300 flight hours to achieve full operational readiness in preparation for the subsequent “Red Flag Alaska 24-1” exercise held in Alaska.
Finally, on 10 April, during the transatlantic flight carried out to take part in “Red Flag 24-1”, on the McChord to Eielson Air Force Base route in the USA, the ambitious milestone of 1,000 hours was achieved.
It Colonel Luca Giuseppe Vitaliti, Commander of the 6th Wing, he reminded us how “The density and pace of the stages covered highlight how reaching the first 1,000 hours has a symbolic rather than a statistical connotation. In about 18 months, the Italian Air Force and the 6th Wing managed to reconfigure the infrastructural, logistical, organisational and operational setup of the Unit for the activation of the Red Devils' first F-35 Group, the 102nd Flight Group. At the same time, they supported, with brilliant results, complex multinational air exercises in Italy and abroad, in highly challenging contexts and scenarios, demonstrating multi-domain integration and interoperability even for support tasks involving Police Forces, Armed Corps and Interagency operations”.
In conclusion, addressing his staff, he added: “Where we have got to today is not the final destination, but certainly an important milestone from which to gain momentum to face increasingly complex and dynamic challenges and scenarios with awareness and confidence in our abilities. What we have managed to achieve in terms of transition is certainly the result of the foresight of the Italian Air Force, an Italian centre of excellence, but also of the contribution ensured by all the personnel of the 6th Wing”.
