The deployment at the... concluded on August 4th last. Experimental and Standardization Department of Air Firing of Decimomannu (R.S.S.T.A.), of the 74th Tactical Air Force Wing of the German Air Force (G.A.F.) after about a month of training activities over the skies of Sardinia.
The Group, comprising 12 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, received operational and logistical support from the Decimomannu Air Base to carry out over 200 sorties, totalling nearly 300 flight hours overall.
The redeployment, which involved numerous assets, was a valuable and fruitful opportunity for the German Air Force's return to Sardinia, confirming the synergistic understanding that involved the German Air Force and the Italian Air Force.
Thanks to the preliminary preparation of a detailed agreement and the inclusion of activities in the Employment Plan of the Interforce Polygon of Salto di Quirra (P.I.S.Q.), approved by the Defence Staff, the G.A.F. gained access to the “East Sardinia” airspace, where it was able to train and refine Air-to-Air combat techniques, under the control of the NATO Deployable Air Command and Control Centre (DACCC).
Upon completion of the deployment, the Commander of R.S.S.T.A., Colonel Giovanni Luca Nicoletti, and the Commander of the 74th Tactical Air Force Wing, Colonel Jurgen Schönhöfer, agreed on the full success of the training activity carried out. The latter finally thanked his counterpart and the Department for the important support received, highlighting the pleasant feeling of returning to Decimomannu after so long and having had the opportunity to train their assets in the best environmental and logistical conditions.
It Salto di Quirra Joint Interforces Experimental and Training Polygon (PISQ), Established in 1956 and falling under the Logistic Command, it operates with personnel from the Armed Forces (FF.AA.) and ensures advanced training for national and foreign FF.AA. It also hosts experimental trials, tests, and development of prototype and experimental systems, and collaborates with national scientific and university bodies, foreign industrial entities, and civilian companies operating in the defence sector and beyond. Furthermore, it collaborates with Institutional Bodies, voluntary associations, Civil Protection, Alpine and Speleological Rescue, Universities, and other entities to ensure training for joint emergency management capacity and the protection of territory, as well as for the synergistic development of dual-use projects in the field of technological research and development. It fosters the development of collaborations in the space sector with the Aerospace District of Sardinia and with CRS4 (Centre for Research, Development and Higher Studies in Sardinia). With sensors deployed across its territory, it is an integral part of the European programme for monitoring space debris named Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST). Through the OTI (Operational Training Infrastructure) programme, it positions itself as a centre of excellence for the advanced training of 5th-generation flight platforms and for their multi-role integration in increasingly challenging realistic and complex scenarios.
It Experimental and Standardisation Department Aerial Shooting (R.S.S.T.A) Decimomannu, It is hierarchically subordinate to the Joint Inter-forces Experimental and Training Range of Salto di Quirra (Perdasdefogu), and to the Air Force Command for the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (CAMRAS) for garrison and coordination functions with other Air Force entities present on the island. The Alghero Airport Detachment, the Capo Frasca range, the Serrenti Armaments Depot Section, and the Weather Observation Units of Capo Bellavista, Capo Caccia, and Capo Carbonara are subordinate to the Commander of R.S.S.T.A. The R.S.S.T.A. coordinates, manages, and controls the flight activities of the I.F.T.S., Air Force Departments, other Armed Forces, and Allied Countries, also ensuring logistic/administrative support. It is the base for the 80th Search and Rescue Centre and the 212GV/I.F.T.S., an excellence in advanced flight training, a result of the partnership between the Air Force and the Leonardo company.
