The Commander of the 61st Air Wing handed over to 7 Italian and 4 Singaporean pilots the diplomas attesting their eligibility to fly on the aircraft systems. Among the newly certified pilots, in addition to 7 Italian pilots, 4 trainees from the R.S.A.F. (Republic of Singapore Air Force) also completed the difficult course, which can be considered a product of 360-degree Italian training. The young pilots from Singapore had first attended Phase III at the 213th Flight Wing of the same Salento Flight School; this phase concluded with the achievement of the eagle feather; they then moved on to Phase IV, the advanced phase required for the continuation of their fighter pilot career.
The course just concluded, lasting about six months, was intense and demanding. The new pilots underwent rigorous training characterized by high professional content and increasing difficulty, which is developed over a total of about 100 events, between flight and simulators, divided into missions with simulated ground attack profiles, Air-Air combat missions (with scenarios of 1Vs1 and 2Vs1 integrated with the tactical air defense radar controllers) and flight refueling missions with the KC130 aircraft.
In particular, during the training at the shooting range in Decimomannu, the Singaporean pilots for the first time experienced Air-to-Air “hand-gun” missions with the gun in dogfight mode; this training was highly appreciated by the trainees, as evidenced by the words of one of the young pilots from the Southeast Asian Republic: “It wasn’t easy, but after a lot of training we put into practice every lesson, […] using the gun for the first time against a moving target made us feel like fighter pilots ready to be operational.“.
Words of appreciation for the work carried out were expressed by Colonel Sergio Cavuoti, Commander of the 61st Wing, who, in joining in his congratulations to the new pre-operational pilots, did not fail to highlight the contribution of all the personnel of the Base in achieving the prestigious goal.“Once again” – stated the Commander of the military airport of Galatina – “The international character of this Flying School stands out, with its specificities representing a unique reality in the national and international landscape of military flight training. The 61st Wing is undergoing a period of profound change, both in terms of increasingly modern training tools and processes, aligned with the latest generation weapon systems, and with reference to the exponential development of relationships with international partners who recognise the Salento Unit as a centre of excellence in flight training.“.
The 4 Singapore pilots will return to their home country, while the 7 Italian pilots will be deployed to the 4th, 6th, 32nd, 36th and 50th Air Force squadrons.
