In the presence of the Chief of the 3rd Department of the Air Force Staff, Colonel Andrea Esposito has handed over command of the Centre after two years to Colonel Salvatore Lombardi. HThe ceremony for the change of command at the Directorate took place on Friday 6 September at the “Luigi Rovelli” Military Airport in Amendola (FG). Centre of Excellence for Remotely Piloted Aircraft (CdE APR) between Colonel Andrea Esposito, outgoing Director, and Colonel Salvatore Lombardi, incoming. This joint-service Centre of Excellence, under the authority of the Head of the 3rd Department of the Air Force Staff (SMA), is staffed by experts in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) field. Its activities range from basic training for piloting UAS and their sensor systems, to providing support – as requested by clients – to promote joint-service development and interoperability within the UAS sector. This is achieved through conducting trials, developing procedures, and validating concepts related to UAS deployment. The Centre also has the responsibility of supporting counter-drone capabilities against potential threats posed by illicitly used drones with malicious intent, by evaluating and validating dedicated techniques, procedures, and systems. The Centre of Excellence is also the sole point of contact for initial training courses for Mini/Micro class UAS Operators, thereby ensuring training and procedural standardisation to guarantee maximum interoperability and effectiveness, both at the joint-service level and, prospectively, at the inter-agency level.
