Upon his arrival, the Undersecretary of State for Defense, Mr. Gioacchino Alfano, was welcomed by the Commander of the Air Wing, Colonel Vincenzo Sicuso. The Air Wing, which has been operating in Operation “Constant Vigilance” for years, operates with the BR 1150-Atlantic aircraft and mixed crews (Air Force/Navy). Recently, it has also been integrated into the naval deployment of the humanitarian mission “Mare Nostrum”, contributing to the strengthening of activities related to the control of migratory flows for the safeguarding of human life through surveillance, research, and rescue operations at sea.
During the introductory briefing on the activities of the Stormo and the airport of Sigonella, Colonel Vincenzo Sicuso explained to the Undersecretary the data related to the flight activity so far carried out by the operational crews of the 88th Group under the control of the ’Mare Nostrum“ system, which adds up to the more than 250,000 total flight hours flown by the Atlantic fleet in its forty years of operation.
Colonel Sicuso, at the end of the presentation, made a statement emphasizing that “The crews of the 41st are always ready to provide their qualified support in activating the Command and Control chain during all patrolling missions in the Mediterranean, including training missions, because the personnel are trained as they operate.”.
On October 20, the 41st Squadron carried out its first operational mission in support of “Mare Nostrum” by sending an Atlantic aircraft to the area assigned by the Commander of the Naval Command of the Navy, where it carried out, with the help of all available sensors and according to precise deployment tactics, all checks to increase the level of human safety and the control of migratory flows in the current emergency scenario that characterizes the southern Mediterranean.
The visit concluded aboard the Atlantic aircraft, where the alert crew, ready to take off at any time of the year and 24 hours a day, demonstrated the operational capabilities of the weapon system during missions to monitor underwater and surface naval units. The Atlantic is a patrol aircraft.“all-weather”Producted in Europe to operate specifically in the maritime environment, with high autonomy and range. The research activities are carried out using the on-board radar, by 3 specialized operators, called ‘star’’, (1 front and 2 side) that are able to operate even at night with NVG (Night Vision Goggles) capabilities, using illuminators and smoke signals to signal their position during the day.
The Air Force also has operational capabilities that are ready to be deployed within the “Mare Nostrum” mission with APR (Pilot-Remote Aircraft) “Predator” aircraft in the 32nd Squadron of Amendola (FG), aimed at ensuring aerial surveillance activities with the dual purpose of saving lives in danger and identifying the mother ships used by the smugglers. Further resources readily available to the Air Force to support the aforementioned operation are the HH-139A helicopter, in the 15th Squadron of Cervia (RA), within the Search And Rescue (SAR) sector. A HH-139 has been reconfigured at the Aeronautical Detachment of Lampedusa from where it continues to ensure the normal activity it carried out from Trapani as part of the National Armed Forces SAR system. The temporary presence of the A.M. helicopter in Lampedusa, in the current emergency scenario that characterizes the Southern Mediterranean, in fact represents an optimization in the use of the assets that can be deployed more quickly for any potential search or rescue requirement in the area. The mission of the 41st Squadron consists of countering underwater and naval threats and providing long-range search and rescue service at sea to protect the main maritime routes in order to maintain control of potentially hostile underwater and surface naval units. To these activities are added the control of commercial traffic in the Mediterranean, within the framework of the “post-September 11” operations against international terrorism, and the support for activities aimed at controlling migratory flows from the southern quadrants of the Mediterranean, guaranteeing daily coverage of the vast areas of interest and allowing the timely location of refugees at sea, alerting the competent authorities and ensuring a constant and immediate response by the S.A.R., in the event of a maritime accident or shipwreck involving them.
