The assessment will ensure that Civil Protection can bring hot meals to populations affected by natural disasters. Indeed, the kitchens must be suitable for air transport by the Italian Army's (EI) CH-47C helicopter, to which they will be anchored by a barycentric hook, in order to be transported to crisis areas.
The tests were carried out jointly with a crew from the 1st Antares Regiment of the Aves of Viterbo.
In particular, the Flight Test Department, through static ground tests, verified the compatibility of the ISO 1C container's weight and centre of gravity with the aircraft's external load transport characteristics, and, through flight tests, the helicopter's performance with the suspended load during normal take-off, landing, and low-speed manoeuvrability.
This activity was carried out as part of the increasingly fundamental and necessary cooperation between the Armed Forces and civilian bodies, in this case Civil Protection, to tackle and manage crisis situations.
Field kitchens, transported in containers constructed of metallic and structured material to ensure the watertightness of their contents against atmospheric agents, will be used to immediately guarantee hot meals and essential supplies to affected populations in the event of natural disasters.
