Another important milestone for AM-X of the Task Group “Black Cats” of the 51st Air Wing, under the command of the Task Force Air Kuwait, was reached on February 23rd: the 4,000 hours of flight time in theatre for the Italian AM-X forces under the command of the TFA Kuwait was achieved and was celebrated with a modest ceremony, in the presence of the Commander of the Italian National Contingent Command Air (NCC Air), the personnel of the Task Force Air Kuwait (TFA-K), and a representative of the foreign personnel of the Coalition.
The Commander of the IT NCC Air and the TFA-K thanked the staff of the Black Cats, complimenting them on the achieved result, and emphasized the importance of the teamwork carried out by the entire Italian contingent.
The Commander also praised his own personnel; a cohesive group, at the forefront and capable of fulfilling numerous tasks in a challenging environmental and operational context, but at the same time aware of operating for a just cause. The “Black Cats” Task Group”
The AM-X aircraft, from the 51st Stormo of Istrana (TV), represent an outstanding example of Italian contribution to the national operation “Prima Parthica” and the international operation “Inherent Resolve” aimed at countering Daesh.
The Task Group “Black Cats”, composed mainly of personnel from the 51st Stormo di Istrana and the 3rd RMV of Treviso, operates in full synergy with all the components of the TFA-K, and in particular with the I2MEC (Integrated Italian Multisensor Exploitation Cell) which, together with other PED (Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination) units in Italy, carries out the analysis of the images captured by the pilots with the RecceLite system, and provides the ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) products necessary for the Coalition. The AM-X aircraft of the Task Group “Black Cats”
The AM-X of the Task Group Black Cats is a versatile and reliable system.
Thanks to the sophisticated RecceLite aerotatic reconnaissance system, they have enabled the Coalition to acquire a significant amount of high-resolution images of the points of interest.
The tactics, techniques, and procedures used by the Black Cats pilots in flight have been perfected over the years, allowing for the capture of an ever-increasing number of points of interest. This makes the AM-X the most efficient aerotactic reconnaissance aircraft in terms of time spent in the area of operations and the points of interest captured, thanks to its maneuverability and the versatility of the RecceLite system.
The IT NCC/Task Force Air Kuwait has been conducting intelligence, surveillance, aerial reconnaissance, electronic warfare support and in-flight refueling operations since October 2014. It uses the Predator, AM-X and Tanker (Boeing KC767) aircraft deployed at three bases and according to a complex, yet perfectly integrated and synergistic arrangement with the many components of the international coalition.
