On board a 41st Wing flight, journalists Monica Colaianni, Sebastiano Bella and Dino Marcellino
Following the welcome address by the Airport and 41st Stormo Commander, Colonel Vincenzo Sicuso, the guests attended the pre-flight briefing. Immediately afterwards, they boarded the aircraft, which shortly reached a hypothetical operational area in the middle of the Sicily Channel along the migrant route.
With all personnel in position at the various sensors – including the lookouts at the front and side of the aircraft – the simulation of the operations that Atlantic crews have been carrying out on a daily basis for more than 40 years now began, for the benefit of the journalists. Flying at low altitude over the sea, numerous vessels – both small and large – passing through the area were spotted. A submarine was also detected and monitored. Suddenly, first the sensors and then the lookouts spotted a vessel in the distance towing ’something“. The crew were on the verge of activating the ”Mare Nostrum“ protocol, as they immediately suspected it was a ”mother ship“ towing a boat carrying migrants. Once they reached the target, it became clear that it was merely a fishing boat towing a fishing trawl. Colonel Sicuso, from his bridge, interviewed immediately after the latest sighting, reported: ”Today you have seen how we operate […] this is also part of our job: to cover mile after mile of sea and, at the first sign that someone is in danger, to monitor and observe and, if necessary, swiftly relay the location to rescue teams arriving by sea. We know full well that even just one minute could be enough to save our most important resource: human life“. On returning from the mission, the journalists thanked the Wing Commander for giving them ”the unique opportunity to fly aboard the Atlantic“. They also congratulated the entire crew. Since 20 October 2013, the 41st Anti-Submarine Wing based at Sigonella has been engaged daily in the humanitarian surface surveillance mission as part of the operation known as ”Mare Nostrum“, which involves deploying BR-1150 Atlantic aircraft to the area assigned by the Naval Fleet Command of the Italian Navy (CINCNAV), where, using all available sensors and in accordance with precise operational tactics, they carry out all necessary checks to enhance the safety of human life and control migration flows in the current emergency situation characterising the southern Mediterranean. The BR-1150 Atlantic aircraft of the 41st Wing operates with mixed crews from the Air Force and the Navy (a unique feature) and has been specifically designed to operate in a maritime environment for the purpose of patrolling, flying at low altitude, vast areas thanks to its high endurance and range. Search operations are carried out using the on-board radar, which is optimised for detecting targets on the sea surface, and with the assistance of three on-board operators, acting as lookouts, equipped with day and night binoculars. The standard mixed operational crew consists of 13 people: three Pilots, two TeVs (Flight Technicians), two OSAs (Acoustic Sensor Operators), two OTTs (Tactical/Search Console Operators) and four OEs (Electronic Operators). Regardless of their positions, roles or the Armed Forces to which they belong, for the Atlantic unit the term ”crew“ means, above all, 13 men who fly together for four years, forging not only professional but also personal bonds characteristic of the anti-submarine speciality. In the event of a sighting, the Atlantic can signal the position of shipwrecked persons using flares at night or smoke signals during the day, and launch a self-inflating rubber dinghy whilst awaiting the arrival of surface rescue vessels. The mission of the 41st Wing is to counter underwater and naval threats and to provide long-range search and rescue at sea to protect the main sea lanes, with the aim of keeping potentially hostile underwater and surface naval units under control. In addition to these activities, the Wing monitors merchant traffic in the Mediterranean, as part of ”post-11 September“ operations against international terrorism, and support for activities aimed at controlling migration flows from the southern sectors of the Mediterranean, ensuring daily – with the aid of the Breguet 1150 ”Atlantic“ aircraft in its fleet – daily coverage of the extensive areas of interest, enabling the prompt location of refugees at sea, the alerting of the relevant authorities and, at the same time, ensuring a constant and rapid Search and Rescue (SAR) response in the event of a maritime accident or shipwreck involving such refugees.
