The objective of the exercise, which took place at Amendola Airport, was to train personnel in the analysis of images captured by aerial and satellite sensors for Personnel Recovery activities. The objective was to train, in the most realistic way possible, the participants of the 54th F.A.C. Course (Forward Air Controller) and the 4th RSMA Course (Remote Sensing Military Analyst), at the conclusion of the theoretical phase conducted at the School of Aerocommunications in Guidonia. The participants used the exercise events by interacting, according to real operational procedures, with the aircraft assets and the ground forces deployed. The key operation of the exercise was the analysis of images captured by aerial and satellite sensors (Reccelite, FMV – Predator, Cosmo-SkyMed) during the execution of Close Air Support (CAS) aerial missions. In the exercise, AMX, MB-339 and MQ-9A “Predator B” aircraft were involved; they were used for the first time simultaneously for reconnaissance sorties (RECCE); the HH-3F, AB-212 and NH-500 rotary wing assets were assigned the role of escort, recovery of personnel and transport during the Personnel Recovery phase, that is, the recovery of a pilot in enemy territory after the aircraft was shot down; the ground defense of these assets was entrusted to a component of the 16th Stormo “Fucilieri dell’Aria” from Martina Franca, in order to make the exercise as close as possible to the operational realities encountered in “out-of-area” contexts. Some representatives of the F.A. High Command, including the Air Division General of Division Settimo Caputo, Chief of Staff of the Inter-Service High Command Operations, the Air Division General of Division Vitantonio Cormio, Chief of Staff of the School of Military Aeronautics/3rd R.A. of Bari, the Air Brigade General Roberto Lamanna, Commander of the School of Cooperation in Aeronautics of Guidonia, the Air Brigade General Gianni Candotti, Head of the 3rd S.M.A. Department, and Rear Admiral Fabio Rossi, Commander of the Inter-Service Intelligence Center, attended the exercise on May 31st.
