Handover completed at the International Flight Training School in Decimomannu
The final flight mission of the Phase IV training attendees took place on 1 June (Lead-In to Fighter Training), preparatory to flying the latest-generation fighter aircraft, for Qatari military pilots at the 61st Wing in Galatina.
The transfer of this fundamental phase of military pilot training is therefore complete and operational at the’IFTS (International Flight Training School) at the Decimomannu air base.
The training activity began about a year ago at the 61st Wing of Galatina (LE), while in Sardinia the International Flight Training School (IFTS) was taking shape.
This flight concludes a cycle at the Galatina air base and marks the definitive transition of the 212th Flight Group/IFTS to Decimomannu, which continues to report hierarchically to the 61st Wing.
The IFTS project, created in 2018 through the agreement between Italian Air Force e Leonardo with the aim of creating an international centre of excellence for military pilot training and meeting the growing demand for advanced training from allied and partner nations, has enabled the current training provision to be doubled through the creation of a new hub distributed between the Italian Air Force base at Galatina, where basic training activities (namely Phase II and III training) will continue to be carried out, and that of Decimomannu, where the campus dedicated to the advanced phase of flight training has been established.
The initiative, which represents a virtuous example of synergy between public and private institutions for the benefit of the entire country system, is characterised by having pooled two national centres of excellence by leveraging the expertise and tradition of the Italian Air Force in military flight training, achieved through over 75 years of experience at the Galatina flight school, and the technological excellence of Leonardo, Italy's leading industrial player in aerospace, defence and security.
The IFTS courses, aimed at pilots destined for deployment on latest-generation fighter aircraft (such as the Eurofighter or the F-35), are taught by military and civilian instructor pilots, and are based on the advanced integrated training system T-346 ITS (Integrated Training System), focusing on Leonardo's M-346 aircraft named T-346A from the Italian Air Force.
It Colonel Vito Conserva, commander of the 61st Wing and of the IFTS, wanted to emphasise the new direction marked by this fundamental “handover“ between the Salento and Sardinian bases, which will allow an even greater technological content to be given to Phase 4 training.
The 61st Wing, subordinate to the Air Force Schools Command / 3rd Air Region, is an advanced, multinational, modern and effective training facility, with decades of experience behind it in the sector of “flight training” and is equipped with cutting-edge technological systems. In particular, the school is tasked with providing jet flight training: Phase II – Primary Pilot Training, common to all student military pilots, aimed at identifying the lines on which they will fly (fighters, remotely piloted aircraft, helicopters, conventional aircraft); phase III – Specialised Pilot Training, exclusively for student pilots selected for the airlines “Fighter” e “Remotely Piloted Aircraft” which concludes with the awarding of the military pilot's licence (turreted eagle); Phase IV – Lead-in to Fighter Training – LIFT, which from today will take place at the IFTS, preparatory to subsequent employment on latest-generation fighter aircraft.
