The event, presided over by Colonel Antonio Caruso, Commander of the 14th Wing at Pratica di Mare, was attended by a delegation of personnel from the unit. On Wednesday 12 September, a handover ceremony for the command of the 71st “Perseo” Flight Group took place at the 14th Wing in Pratica di Mare, between Lt-Col. Simone M., the outgoing Commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Zaccheo C., the incoming Commander. The event, presided over by Colonel Antonio Caruso, Commander of the 14th Wing, was attended by a delegation of personnel from the unit. The outgoing Commander is stepping down from the Group Command after two years of service focused on maintaining the operational standards progressively achieved. In his farewell address, he offered the following words of appreciation to the personnel who have consistently provided high-quality support: “Thank you for your dedication, your spirit of sacrifice, your sense of belonging and all the work you have carried out, sometimes quietly and discreetly but always demonstrating great qualities and abilities. Thank you for the open and ongoing dialogue – at times tough and uncompromising, but always sincere and shared; thank you for your ability to continue to amaze me over time, always going beyond what I thought were your limits. Procedures, rules and plans, however accurate and comprehensive, remain a dead letter if there is no staff to bring them to life, interpret them, and adapt them to the context and circumstances that we have seen change, sometimes even on a daily basis. Thank you for once again simply being yourselves.” The incoming Commander concluded his inaugural address with words once again addressed to the personnel of the 71st Flight Group: “Dear Perseo, the path we will travel together will be one of commitments, and at times of the unexpected; it will require hard work and sweat; it will lead us to successes and perhaps even a few bitter pills to swallow, but above all it will be a path of learning and mutual enrichment. If, on this journey, we can see ourselves as a team, even a defeat will be a healthy opportunity for growth and a reason to do better the following day.” Finally, Colonel Caruso, Commander of the 14th Wing, thanked the outgoing Commander for his work at the 71st Flight Group over the past few years and, turning to the incoming Commander, wished him every success in his new role. The 71st Flight Group, as part of the 14th Wing, carries out the primary task of radio measurement operations using P180 RM aircraft through continuous monitoring of national radio aids (Radar, VOR, DME, ILS, TACAN, etc.), to verify the validity of the radio signals transmitted, which provide aircraft with accurate guidance during take-off, landing and navigation. Furthermore, the personnel of the 71st Flight Group, together with the newly established Mission Crew Centre (C.E.M.), have contributed to the launch and development of the prestigious Conformal Airborne Early Warning programme using G550 CAEW aircraft; a highly significant capability, indispensable and strategically important within the context of command and control functions, which ensures an adequate extension of surveillance capabilities – including electronic surveillance – in joint operational contexts, both for national defence and in out-of-area operations.
The 14th Wing is based at Pratica di Mare Military Airport and reports to the Air Squad Command through the Support and Special Forces Command.
It conducts missions in the air-to-air refuelling, radio measurement, transport and training sectors with KC767A aircraft (whose operational control is assigned to the European Air Transport Command in Eindhoven) and P180 Avanti aircraft, and in the airspace surveillance sector with the G550 CAEW aircraft, in accordance with the plans and directives received from the Air Squad Command, the Italian Air Force High Command responsible for the training, preparation and deployment of assets and personnel operating at operational units throughout the national territory.
