Press release no. 22/2019 NATO Air Policing: Italian fighter jets intercept a plane in Montenegrin skies Two Eurofighter jets of the 36th Air Wing of the Italian Air Force, on duty for NATO alert, took off this morning from the air base of Gioia del Colle (BA) to intercept a German airline TUI Fly aircraft flying over Montenegrin skies, bound for Hurghada (Egypt), which had lost radio contact with air traffic control (ATC) authorities. The immediate takeoff order – in technical jargon “scramble” – was given by the CAOC (Combined Air Operation Center) in Torrejon, Spain, the NATO entity responsible in the area, in coordination with the Air Operations Command (COA) in Poggio Renatico and the Armed Forces authorities responsible for monitoring national airspace and NATO. The “hunting guide” personnel of the 22nd Radar Group in Licola provided the Eurofighter pilots in flight with the information necessary to intercept the aircraft that was about to enter the airspace of Montenegro and Albania, countries of the Atlantic Alliance whose air defense is daily ensured by Italy, with the operational assets of the Italian Air Force and those of Greece. Upon arriving in the area concerned, the two interceptor fighters identified the civilian aircraft for the planned VId (Visual Identification) and, once radio communication was restored, they returned to base. ******** The complex defense system through which the Italian Air Force ensures, without interruption, the surveillance of the national airspace is integrated, even in peacetime, with that of the other countries belonging to NATO. The alert chain for this type of events and for violations of airspace stipulates that the order for immediate intervention by fighter jets (“scramble”) be issued by the CAOC (Combined Air Operation Center) in Torrejon (Spain), the NATO agency responsible for airspace surveillance in the area, whose national counterpart is the Air Operation Center in Poggio Renatico. There are three Storms equipped with Eurofighter aircraft, which the Air Force uses for its Air Defense service: the 4th Stormo in Grosseto, the 36th Stormo in Gioia del Colle and the 37th Stormo in Trapani, which also provide support to a temporary cell at the base of the 51st Stormo in Istrana on a rotating basis, as needed. The chain also includes the 11th D.A.M.I. Group (Integrated Missile Air Defense) from Poggio Renatico (FE) and the 22nd Radar Group from Licola (NA), which have the task of guiding the Air Defense assets by providing the necessary information to intercept potential aerial threats. The airspace monitoring activity is carried out by specialized and trained personnel, possessing the qualification of Surveillance Controller or Intercept Controller. The National Air Operation Centre performs fundamental tasks in the organization of the air defense service and carries out a constant activity of supervision on the proper functioning of the device. Should a non-military threat to Italian airspace arise, the IT-AOC takes over the command of the interceptor aircraft entrusted to NATO for the subsequent counteraction. This occurs when a civil aircraft in transit in national airspace exhibits an anomalous and therefore potentially dangerous behavior for safety, or when it requires air support due to technical problems that compromise the safety of the flight, as in the current case due to the loss of radio communications. In 2017, with Montenegro’s entry into the Atlantic Alliance, that country’s airspace became an integral part of the Euro-Atlantic space and, as such, was included in the NATO air and missile defense system. This system also includes Air Policing, which consists of continuous aerial surveillance aimed at ensuring the integrity and safety of NATO airspace. Like other countries of the Atlantic Alliance (Slovenia, Albania, the Baltic Republics, Iceland), Montenegro does not have an air force capable of monitoring its airspace and has therefore requested NATO intervention. Italy provides support through the deployment of 2 Eurofighter aircraft that will be ready for operational deployment from their respective bases, ready to deploy in a ’scramble“ in case of need. A ”scramble“ is an operational activity consisting of rapidly activating a pair of fighter aircraft to intercept and identify an unknown aircraft that violates the Alliance’s airspace, or does not properly identify itself with air traffic control, in order to ensure the safety of the skies from any potential and/or potential threat. Air Policing (AP) is a capability that NATO acquired starting in the mid-1950s and consists of integrating the respective and similar national systems made available by the member countries into a single air and missile defense system. The activity of Air Policing has been carried out since peacetime and consists of the continuous monitoring and identification of all violations of the integrity of NATO airspace, which is dealt with by taking appropriate actions to counter them, such as the rapid takeoff of fighter aircraft, the so-called scramble. Italy has been participating in the Interim Air Policing of Slovenia since 2004, of Albania since 2009 and of Montenegro since 2018, alternating in this service with Greece and Hungary.