A NATO team has certified the full operational capability of the 4th Wing TFA to integrate Bulgarian Air Defence into the “Bulgarian Horse” mission. On Friday 14 July, the Air Task Force (TFA) “4th Wing” achieved full operational capability to operate jointly with the Bulgarian air defence for the defence of Allied airspace. During the ceremony, which was held this morning at Graf Ignatievo Airport in Bulgaria, Brigadier General Antonio José de Matos Branco, Commander of Air Operations at the Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Torrejon, handed over to the TFA ’4th Wing”the certificate for achieving Full Operational Capability (FOC), thereby obtaining NATO operational readiness to integrate the air defence capability of the Bulgarian Air Force as part of enhanced Air Policing operations.
At the certification ceremony, which took place in the presence of the Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Atanas Zapryanov, and the Chief of Staff of the Bulgarian Air Force, Major General Tsanko Stoikov, Air Division General Silvano Frigerio, representing the Italian Chief of Defence, in his speech thanked the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence and Air Force, together with the 3rd Fighter Air Base, for the support given to the Italian Air Force during the deployment phases. He then stressed how “the presence of the Italian Air Force in Bulgaria demonstrates Italy's full integration into the Atlantic Alliance”. He then continued:“Italy is proud to be the only nation to have participated in all four Interim Air Policings: Slovenia, Albania, Iceland and the Baltic Republics”, emphasising how, for the first time, Italy finds itself operating also on the Alliance's eastern flank, increasing the capabilities of Bulgarian Air Defence.
Colonel Moris Ghiadoni, Commander of the 4th Wing TFA, thanked the personnel of the 3rd Division of the Logistics Command and the 3rd Wing of Villafranca for the logistical preparation work carried out very quickly to allow the achievement of full operational capability on schedule. He also underlined the importance of the mission “Bulgarian Horse” which will allow “operate alongside the Bulgarian Air Force, increasing interoperability and synergy between the two air forces”.
The certification was attested by a NATO team from CAOC Torrejon after two“Scramble”, rapid take-offs, carried out for training and evaluation purposes. From tomorrow, the Italian Air Force will begin its shift on alert readiness to integrate with the Bulgarian one in the defence of Allied airspace. The Italian Air Force is participating in the enhanced Air Policing operation in Bulgaria with four Eurofighter aircraft. The pilots and technical and logistic personnel are increasing the capability of the Bulgarian airspace surveillance service until the middle of October, while conducting joint training activities with the crews of the Bulgarian Air Force.
Air policing (AP) is a capability acquired by NATO since the mid-fifties and consists of the integration into a single NATO air and missile defence system of the respective and analogous national systems provided by member countries. Air policing activity is conducted even in peacetime and consists of the continuous surveillance and identification of all violations of the integrity of NATO airspace, which are dealt with by taking appropriate actions useful to counter them, such as the rapid takeoff of interceptor fighter aircraft, the so-called scramble.
The AP is carried out within the area of responsibility of NATO's Allied Command Operations (ACO), based in Brussels, and is coordinated by Headquarters Allied Air Command in Ramstein (GER).
