Established in 2012, the Group currently represents an essential hub in the ISR and Targeting capabilities chain of the Italian Air Force.
It was celebrated on June 16th, at Pratica di Mare airport, the 10th anniversary of activities Operational Imagery Analysis Group (GrAIO). The event was held in the presence of Chief of Staff of Air Squad Command, Major General Andrea Argieri, and numerous military authorities including former Commanders of the 9a Air Brigade and of the same GrAIO.
“What we celebrate today is an extremely virtuous path“, stated Colonel Francesco Marino, Director of Aeronautical Geotopographic Information Centre (CIGA) from which the Department depends,“which brought the GrAIO – as a PED (Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination) Manager – to become a solid operational reality for the Armed Force and an essential hub for the exploitation and enhancement of the capabilities of all ISR platforms (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance of the Italian Air Force, fully integrated and interoperable in Coalition and NATO contexts“During the operation, there was a heartfelt thought for the memory of General Dario D’Ippolito, for his invaluable contribution to the development of the Air Force's operational capabilities in the ISR field and, in particular, for the implementation of the so-called “Image Analysis and Management Capability Plan” (CAGI Plan), which initiated the creation of the GrAIO, and a sincere thank you to all the personnel for the professionalism and competence with which they operated. operate in dynamic, complex and highly challenging contexts such as ISR e Targeting.
The Chief of Staff of the Air Squad Command, Gen. D.A. Andrea Argieri, while remarking on the exceptional evolutionary path of such a young Group, highlighted how the GrAIO was the result of perfect coordination, synergistic actions, and unity of purpose among various components of the Air Force, which saw in the development of the CAGI Plan and the creation of the GrAIO an exceptional opportunity for the Armed Force to equip itself with an effective and sustainable tool for the analysis and exploitation of images, coming from the sensors available to the Armed Force for... Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition & Reconnaissance (ISTAR). Addressing the GrAIO staff, he expressed his satisfaction with the support provided for all relevant and complex military operations and those of other Italian Ministries/Agencies, encouraging them to continue developing new aerospace domain activities in which the Air Force plays a predominant role nationally, and to continue on this path of growth and improvement.
The event saw the presentation of a collective solemn commendation by General Argieri to T.Col. Massimo Riello, Commander of the GrAIO, awarded by the Commander of the Air Squad for the two decades during which the Group's personnel have poured commitment, generosity, passion, and full dedication into the various operational activities carried out nationally and internationally, which have allowed for achievements and progress in the capability of Exploitation in the segments Full Motion Video, CREPES (Tactical Reconnaissanceand lastly the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radarand becoming a Benchmark within NATO which national custodian for the development, realisation and standardisation of ISR sector publications which constitute the Alliance's doctrinal reference Imagery Intelligence.
The GrAIO, established in 2012, is tasked with optimising the analysis and processing of image data from reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition sensors. This is to help meet the new, diverse, and growing information demands generated by today's operational scenarios, seeking maximum synergy between Air Force departments and the entire Defence sector. The GrAIO, an integral part of the Cigarette, is subordinate to 9th ISTAR-EW Air Brigade.
