The visit, carried out as part of the bilateral cooperation plan between Italy and France, aimed to obtain information on the management and use of remote-controlled aircraft. On Tuesday 3 December, a delegation composed of three officers from the French Air Force arrived at Amendola Airport (FG) to visit the “Predator” component of the 32nd Air Wing.
The knowledge-based activity was requested by the’Air Force as part of its own program for acquiring remote-piloted aircraft, it was submitted to the Air Force as an ideal follow-up to the ATAT meetings (Air To Airman Talks), which took place at the Air Force General Staff and the base of Amendolalo last October, the Deputy Chiefs of Staff of the two air forces attended.
The visit was managed in synergy between 32nd Squadron and the Center of Excellence in Remote Pilotage Aircraft, and was focused, based on the experience and capabilities acquired in the specific sector, on the 28th Group and the MQ-1C “Cobra” aircraft.“Predator A+”and MQ-9“Predator B”respectively employed both within the ISAF operation in Afghanistan and in the context of the KFOR operation over Kosovo skies, and more recently also in favor of the humanitarian operation “Mare Nostrum”.
During the morning, some insights were provided on the aspects and organization of the 28th Group, on the national management of dedicated airspace, flows regarding the training and education of personnel, and general aspects regarding the maintenance philosophy of the aircraft in service.
The activities continued in the afternoon with a visit to the operational area from which the aircraft are flown; at this stage, some generalities about the lessons learned from the long experience gained with the use of the Predator systems in theater, both domestically and abroad, were presented to the French team.
The visit concluded with a greeting to the French officers by Colonel Michele Oballa, Commander of the 32nd Air Wing, to whom the head of the delegation expressed his thanks for the hospitality and cooperation received and the high professionalism of the personnel encountered.
