Saturday 12 March two AM-X fighter jets again on an armed surveillance mission
The task was to identify the possible presence of insurgents and any threats to ISAF forces. Following the presence of insurgents, support from the two AMX aircraft was requested near the city of Nurzai, approximately 60 km north of Herat, and thanks to two air refuellings, the aircraft fulfilled the request, providing the requested support. Upon reaching the new operational area, after establishing radio contact with the Joint Terminal Air Controller (JTAC), the mission carried out armed surveillance using the capability to share the images captured by the aircraft. This allowed for maximum support for the forces deployed on the ground. The mission returned to Herat base after over 5 hours. The Italian Air Force AMX fighter jets are part of the Joint Air Task Force (JATF) and are primarily employed for aerial reconnaissance tasks to support intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance needs in Afghanistan, particularly for Regional Command West, the Italian-led regional command based on the ’JULIA’ Alpine Brigade, responsible for the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) operation in the western part of the country. The continuous activity of the AMX fighter jets, which last year completed over 2000 flight hours with more than 1300 targets reconnoitred, allows for continuous monitoring of operations carried out by soldiers on the ground, providing the commander on the ground with adequate ’situational awareness‘ to better prevent or counter any threats.
