Today, at the “G. Farina” military airport in Decimomannu (CA), home of the International Flight Training School (IFTS), the “Badge Presentation” ceremony was held for the pilot trainees who have completed their training course at the Air Force Flying Schools.
The event took place in the presence of President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, of Secretary of Defence, Guido Crosetto, And of numerous civil, military and religious authorities, to emphasize the importance and prestige of the occasion.
Professor Roberto Cingolani, CEO and General Manager of Leonardo, also spoke at the event.
During the ceremony, 16 students received their wings, a contingent selected from the most accomplished from all classes. The “Military Pilot's Wings” were awarded to students from the Air Forces of Austria, Germany, Greece, and Singapore. Furthermore, the “Military Helicopter Pilot's Wings” were presented to students from the Italian Army, the Carabinieri, and the Guardia di Finanza. The “Helicopter Pilot's Wings” were, however, awarded to students from the State Police and the National Fire Corps.
“Mr President of the Republic, your presence today, as on many other occasions, is for us a reason for honour and trust: it represents a concrete sign of the attention that you constantly dedicate to the Armed Forces, to their commitment and their daily sacrifice. It is a special day, today, especially for the young pilots who today receive the Eagle Turrita: a moment that will remain indelibly in their memory. Alongside the Italian student pilots here today are foreign colleagues who have completed their training at the Air Force flight schools. This is an acknowledgement of Italian excellence in flight training, the result of a modern and far-sighted vision that has made Italy an international model. The Turreted Eagle that we are handing over today is not just a symbol: it represents the assumption of a precise responsibility. That of embodying and defending the founding values of the collective defence of our country, Italy, in accordance with the law and the Constitution. To them, to you, Italy entrusts not only state-of-the-art aircraft, but a far-sighted vision, both projected into the future: an education of technological, cultural and human excellence, based on innovation and international cooperation. A concrete example is the school that hosts us today - the International Flight Training School (IFTS) - a campus recognised worldwide as a reference point for the quality and modernity of its training model. This is what Defence represents and must represent: fulfilling its primary mission - to defend free institutions, democracy and guarantee the security of its citizens. Defence also contributes to building the future, representing a formidable engine of development, a technological lever, a driver of innovation and qualified and sustainable employment. A sector capable of generating otherwise unattainable investments as well as concrete social, industrial, employment and technological spin-offs.
Today we entrust to you, young pilots, complex technologies that few know how to govern, but that will be fundamental to safeguarding the future of all of us. Yet, however sophisticated they may be, no technology will ever replace what we celebrate today: judgment, responsibility, conscience, ethical sense, and moral drive. No machine will ever be able to feel, calculate, and assess the weight of a choice, nor have within itself the moral strength of a sworn oath. And that is why your mission returns and becomes fundamental: we are not merely entrusting you with exceptional, cutting-edge tools, but the most delicate task of all: interpreting the new scenarios, always having the strength to discern between Good and Evil and always choosing the good in the interest of the country. So the Secretary of Defence Guido Crosetto during his speech.
In his speech, the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Luciano Portolano, He highlighted the profound meaning of the ceremony, which represents a moment of personal growth and the beginning of a new mission, in which to demonstrate that one is a leader and a good person. “guardians of an art that combines and fuses technique and strategy, instinct and rationality, action and reflection.” Congratulating the newly-commissioned Air Force officers from Austria, Germany, Greece and Singapore who attended the IFTS, General Portolano emphasized the importance of international cooperative efforts in addressing modern security challenges: “In military operations, including aerial ones, friendly countries, allies and partners operate side by side, demonstrating with facts that defense has no borders, and that peace and security are built together.”
In recognizing the indispensable supporting role played by new technologies, first and foremost artificial intelligence – which has now fully entered the operational landscape to predict threats and optimize missions and military operations – General Portolano wished to remind that it is the human being who remains, today and in the future, the determining factor, and that no machine, device or weapon system will be able to replace him. “replace your intuition and initiative” or to interpret complex and unforeseen situations, because “No algorithm will be able to make decisions with full awareness of their ethical and moral implications.”
Concluding his speech, General Portolano urged the newly qualified officers never to forget the responsibility that accompanies the “Eagles” they have just received, calling to mind the importance of becoming defenders of the values and security of democracy, and ambassadors of a cooperative, ethical, and strategic approach aimed at the defence and security of Nations and Peoples.
It Chief of the Air Staff, In taking the floor at the beginning of the ceremony, after thanking the President of the Republic, the Minister of Defense and all the authorities and guests who had intervened, he wished to emphasize the contribution of the main actors who made the organization of the event possible, in particular the Schools Command, the Logistics Command and the AM Command for the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (CAMRAS), which, through the Experimental and Standardization Department for Air Shooting (RSSTA), supported the preparations on the basis.
“The young officers who today become pilots have undergone a particularly demanding process at national and international flight schools” – declared General Conserva, who then continued – today they are fulfilling the dream of their professional life.” Referring to the international geopolitical situation, he emphasized that “The Ministry of Defense and the Air Force have the task of maintaining the highest level of operational readiness of their assets, also through the ability to train pilots who ensure the highest quality standards, in order to guarantee the defense of the Italian and allied skies, and an adequate level of deterrence capable of safeguarding peace in any context.” The Chief of Staff of the Air Force then highlighted the inter-service and international nature of the training model offered: “The inter-agency, inter-agency and international dimension is concrete proof of how the Air Force’s now more than a hundred-year-old experience and its distinctive expertise in the aerospace sector are shared, in a spirit of genuine and concrete collaboration between institutions and allies, for the benefit of those who make flight their profession and those who aspire to operate in aerospace. Today’s event is particularly significant because the International Flight Training School is a model of innovative and virtuous institutional and industrial synergy, which, thanks also to the hospitality of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, is able to create value by bringing together the consolidated know-how of the Air Force and the excellence of the national industry, with the participation of Difesa Servizi, the in-house company of the Ministry of Defense.”
The newly qualified pilots attended their respective pilot training courses at the Air Force Schools, recognised for their excellent training: the 61st Wing, based at Lecce Galatina airport, the 72nd Wing, located at Frosinone airport, and the Air Transport Training School (SATA) at Pratica di Mare. The pilots qualified in today's ceremony are part of a larger group of 67 trainees – belonging to the Air Force, foreign Air Forces, and other State Armed Forces and Bodies – who have completed the course to obtain their pilot's licence at the three flight schools mentioned (Galatina, Frosinone, and Pratica di Mare). These trainees will receive their licences at their respective Air Force schools.
The choice to hold this ceremony at the International Flight Training School in Decimomannu, an internationally recognised centre of excellence in advanced flight training, carries strong symbolic value. It is a reality that is the fruit of significant synergy at a national level between the Air Force and Leonardo, and, precisely because of its international school nature, it represents a message of strong cooperation between different countries and cultures.
Trainee military pilots selected for fighter squadrons, after completing phases II and III, continue their training with Phase IV, known as “Lead In to Fighter Training – LIFT”, which takes place at Decimomannu, at the International Flight Training School (IFTS).
