Immediate take-off for two Eurofighter aircraft from the 4th Squadron in Grosseto to intercept a plane that had interrupted communications

This afternoon, two F-2000 Eurofighter fighter jets of the Air Force, on duty as a warning system for the defense of national airspace at the 4th Squadron in Grosseto, carried out an intervention at the order of immediate takeoff (in military jargon called “scramble”) to intercept and verify a civilian aircraft that had lost radio contact with air traffic control authorities.

The aircraft, a six-seater PA-22 USP plane with three people on board, took off from Hungary and was headed for Foligno; it lost radio contact with the authorities responsible for air traffic control, triggering the alarm and interception procedure.

The two interceptor fighters of the 4th Squadron of Grosseto, under the guidance of the Air Defense controllers of the 11th D.A.M.I. Group of Poggio Renatico, quickly reached the aircraft to ensure that there were no emergencies in progress or threats to the safety of the airspace. The foreign aircraft then landed in Foligno, escorted by the Air Force aircraft, around 15:00.

The Air Force continuously ensures the surveillance of national airspace. The Air Defence system against military threats, from peacetime onwards, is under NATO control, which, through the Combined Air Operation Centre (CAOC) in Torrejon (Spain), carries out surveillance of the airspace south of the Alps, from the Canary Islands to Turkey and from the Azores to Romania.

The service is guaranteed – for the surveillance, identification and control part – by the 11th Integrated Missile Defense Group (DAMI) of Poggio Renatico (Fe) and the 22nd Radar Group of Licola (Na), while the flight intervention is ensured by four bases: 4th Squadron of Grosseto, 36th Squadron of Gioia del Colle, 37th Squadron of Trapani Birgi and 51st Squadron of Istrana, the latter permanently stationed since April 2020.