Thursday 30 April, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Squadron General Antonio Conserva, he visited the Aeronautical and Space Experimental Air Division (D.A.S.A.S.) and the 14th Wing.
To welcome the highest authority upon their arrival at base, the Commander of D.A.S.A.S., Gen. D.A. Luciano Ippoliti who, during the meeting, provided an overview of the Division's activities and ongoing or upcoming projects, with a particular focus on the infrastructural and technological renewal process involving the entire airport complex. The visit then continued to the Control Tower, from where General Conserva had the opportunity to observe, from a privileged viewpoint, the structural and capacity upgrades envisaged as part of the new “Airport Master Plan”, aimed at increasing the synergy and operability of all Bodies and Departments located at the Pratica di Mare airbase.
Following this, the Chief of Staff visited the Flight Experimental Department (R.S.V.), where the Unit's War Flag, awarded the Gold Medal of Aeronautical Valor, is kept. During the visit, the capabilities of the new operational analysis laboratory were particularly highlighted, which allows for the digital experimentation of technologies and operational concepts for in-service and next-generation aircraft systems. Subsequently, the General Conserva met a delegation of military and civilian personnel from the Division; during his speech, he wished to emphasise the importance of human resources, stating that “The Air Force and its personnel must be one and the same; there is no personnel on one side and the Armed Force and Public Administration on the other. A complex and operational organisation like the Air Force, if considered in abstract from its personnel, would not be able to fulfil the tasks that the country requires. The Air Force functions thanks to the constant commitment of its personnel, who work every day to face the challenges and overcome the many difficulties that the current and complex everyday life places before us, and an extremely intricate reality like that of Pratica di Mare is tangible proof of this.”.
The visit to DASAS concluded in the “Attilio Biseo” hall, where, after a brief welcoming address to the Commanders of the co-located Units, the traditional signing of the Roll of Honour took place. During this moment, Air Force General D.A. Ippoliti wished to once again thank the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force for the attention and support of the Armed Force.
In the afternoon, the visit continued at the 14th Wing, A Branch of the Air Force, on the front line daily in the sensitive area of strategic air transport and support, both in Italy and abroad.
Welcomed by Wing Commander, Col Alfredo Pietrolucci, The Chief of Staff of the Air Force visited the work areas where the main operational activities of the 14th Wing are taking shape, including contributions to airspace surveillance using modern CAEW aircraft, air-to-air refuelling activity essential for extending the flight endurance of tactical air assets and extending air projection capability far from the homeland, medical and humanitarian transport, including bio-containment, and strategic aeromedical evacuation of various types of patients using air-transportable medical modules that are interoperable with other air assets.
Particularly significant was the meeting with the Wing's personnel, during which General Conserva wished to reiterate his sincere appreciation for the excellent capabilities demonstrated by the Unit, highlighting once again the centrality of human resources and the need to harmonise personal and institutional requirements in the pursuit of institutional tasks. The visit concluded with the presentation of a commemorative plaque for a special mission recently carried out by an aircraft from the Unit, which allowed it to circumnavigate the entire globe, covering over 17,000 miles in just a few days, followed by the signing of the Visitors' Book and the exchange of Unit crests.
The Air Experimentation Department of Aeronautics and Space gathers all the study and experimental bodies of the Air Force under a single command. The Division represents the main consultancy body for the Armed Force and the Defence Administration for flight testing of aircraft and weapon systems, chemical-physical analysis and evaluation of structural and consumable materials, training and experimentation in the field of aerospace medicine, operational software management and operational verification of weapon systems. The D.A.S.A.S. also provides technical-logistical and operational support to bodies of the Air Force and other Armed Forces and State Armed Corps located on the site and manages, through the’Air Terminal Operations Centre (A.T.O.C.), flights destined for operations outside national borders. Pratica di Mare Airport is the first Italian military air base for aircraft traffic and movements, and it is also the unique national military health entry point.
It 14th Wing It is based at the “Mario de Bernardi” military airport in Pratica di Mare and is under the command of the Mobility and Support Forces Command in Milan. The Wing conducts air space surveillance missions with Gulfstream E-550A CAEW aircraft; radiomeasurement and tactical transport missions, also for the Department of Civil Protection, with P-180 aircraft; in-flight refuelling, strategic transport, bio-containment transport, and aeromedical evacuation with KC-767A aircraft.
