The first phase of training for Kuwaiti pilots on the Eurofighter aircraft has begun at the 4th Wing in Grosseto. The training, relating to the
First operational conversion course intended for 5 pilots of the Kuwait Air Force (KAF), began on 20 January 2020 at the 20th OCU (Operational Conversion Unit) of the 4th Wing and will allow the Kuwaiti military to conduct flight missions with the
Eurofighter aircraft. Wednesday
Kuwait Air Force pilots they have already spent a long period of training in Italy: in Loreto, at the Training Centre “
Aviation English”, for an English language course and in Galatina, at the International Flight Training School of the 61st Wing, to obtain the
Military Pilot Licence and attend the pre-operational flight course. Two of the five Kuwaitis, however, already qualified on the F-18 aircraft of the Kuwait Air Force, were able to directly access the operational conversion course.“
This is an achievement with very important implications for both the training activity, offered and managed by the Air Force, and for the Eurofighter Consortium”These are the words of the Commander of the 4th Wing, Colonel Urbano Floreani, in the inaugural speech of the course. The pilots' training will last approximately one year and will see the five Kuwaitis undertake theoretical lessons and both simulated and real flight activities. The first two inaugural days of the course concluded with a visit to the
20th OCU Group of the Kuwait Air Force, Major General Francesco Vestito,
Commander of Combat Forces, who took the opportunity to address a greeting and well wishes for fruitful learning to the KAF pilots. The 4th Wing is subordinate to the Air Squad Command through the Combat Forces Command. It is responsible for ensuring the air defence of the national area of interest, contributing to the control of the relevant airspace, even in peacetime, and conducting air defence operations in assigned areas as part of participation in international crisis prevention and management operations. Specifically, the Wing is engaged in QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) duties, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, by deploying the Eurofighter aircraft. The 4th Wing is also responsible for providing operational conversion for the Armed Force's pilots who will be employed on the EF2000 aircraft.
