On Wednesday 26 May, the four AM-X fighter jets of the Air Force reached the remarkable milestone of over 400 sorties. The AM-X are part of the Task Group ‘Black Cats’ of the Joint Air Task Force (JATF) under the command of Colonel Davide Re and are primarily employed for aerial reconnaissance duties to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements for the Regional Command West, the regional command based on the ‘Taurinense’ Brigade, responsible for the ISAF operation in the western part of the country, which has been led by Brigadier General Claudio Berto since April 20.
For the men of the ‘Black Cats’, commanded by Major David Morpurgo, today's milestone represents an important and significant step which has also been made possible thanks to the professionalism of all the personnel belonging to it.
The ‘Black Cats’ Task Group, comprising personnel mainly from the 51st Wing of Istrana, the 32nd Wing of Amendola, and the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Department (RMV) of Treviso, has operated from the outset with commendable fervour and a spirit of sacrifice to achieve operational readiness, which has allowed it to reach truly exceptional milestones.
Among these, it is certainly worth mentioning the number of inspections carried out by technical staff: no fewer than 7 IP/IPV0 inspections, including 5 simultaneous engine replacements, each lasting just over a day, to maintain the efficiency of the redeployed line at extremely high levels, very close to 100%. Furthermore, it is worth highlighting the more than 600 targets covered, with over 5,500 images provided by the IMINT section of the JAFT’s A2 component. This impressive result is due to the professionalism of the personnel, who were able to make the most of the – as yet – untapped potential of the Recce Lite reconnaissance system. Last but certainly not least, the Task Group’s pilots, who quickly adapted to the extremely dynamic reality of the Afghan theatre and provided support to the various coalition forces, through continuous armed surveillance to ‘cover’ our forces as they worked towards the common goal of an Afghanistan where the people enjoy freedom of movement, the conditions for effective governance, institutions capable of standing on their own two feet, and economic progress.
