17 October 2025 – Testing the capability of the Armed Force through redeployment, at a bare base of supplied equipment, expressing maintenance capabilities in a context that requires rapid intervention was one of the main objectives of the ELETTRA exercise, planned and conducted by 4th Air Defence Telecommunications and Air Traffic Control Brigade of Borgo Piave (LT).the phrase “livex” from 13 to 17 October, which involved vehicles and personnel from Italian Air Force units and departments deployed at the 70nd Stormo, Frosinone.
In addition to the personnel from the 4th Brigade and the 72nd Wing, personnel from the’General Office for Military Aviation and State Meteorology of the Air Force Staff (AVIAMM), 9th ISTAR EW Air Brigade of Pratica di Mare, 1st Special Operations Brigade of Furbara, 9th Wing of Grazzanise, 60th Wing of Guidonia, 70th Stormo of Latina, National Centre for Meteorology and Climatology of the Air Force (CNMCA) of Pratica di Mare, 1st and 2nd Communications Technical Department respectively of Linate (Milan) e Bari, Automated Information Systems Department (RESIA) of Rome and 115a Capo Mele Remote Radar Squadron (SV).
For the exercise activity, an emergency crisis scenario was simulated, for the management of which it was necessary to activate the capability packages made available by NATO within the framework of the “Allied Reaction Forces (ARF)), anticipating the redeployment to a military airport of a Mobile Control Tower and a Mobile Weather Unit, along with their relative support systems. Furthermore, in order to make the scenario as faithful as possible to a real-life situation, a rotary-wing asset was used for the urgent transport of personnel and materials.
For the first time, the possibility of using an aircraft, specifically a helicopter, has been verified TH-500B of the 72nd Wing, to significantly reduce response and system restoration times CIS (Communication and Information System), especially if the latter are located in remote sites and are therefore difficult to access.
Following the deployment of all assets involved, the exercise moved into the phase “livex” in which the reaction capabilities of the involved organisational units were observed in the face of injections of critical and complex situations that can potentially occur in reality.
On Friday 17 October, the Visitors' Day, which was attended by Logistic Commander of the Italian Air Force, Air Squadron General Achille Cazzaniga, It Commander of the Air Force Schools Command / 3rd Air Region of Bari, Air Squad General Francesco Vestito, and the Brigadier General Pietro Spagnoli, Commander of the 3rd Division of the Logistics Command.
Welcomed by Commander of the 4th Brigade, Brigadier General Giacomo Ghiglierio and from Commander of the 72nd Wing, Colonel Alessandro Fiorini, The authorities first attended a presentation of the exercise, given by the Head of the Operations Office of the 4th Brigade, Colonel Antonio DE VIVO and subsequently visited the deployed assets.
It Air Marshal Achille Cazzaniga highlighted “...the importance of ELETTRA 2025, which makes it possible to verify the level of readiness of the capabilities and deployable assets of the Logistics Command. The positive outcome of this activity rewards the teamwork of the Armed Forces with personnel coming from the three High Commands and the Air Force Staff.
It Air Force General Francesco Vestito emphasised “...the opportunity provided by the ELETTRA Exercise for different units to operate together. The scenario built for the exercise highlighted both the versatility of the TH-500B helicopter of the 72nd Wing of Frosinone in difficult geographical environments and the expertise of the technical personnel of the 4th Brigade of Borgo Piave.”.
The Brigade Borgo Piave Telecommunications and Air Defence and Flight Assistance Systems it is the main structure of the 3rd Division of the Logistics Command of the Italian Air Force, which is responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance, both within national territory and in operations outside national borders, of telecommunications and electronics systems, radar systems, radio aids for flight and air navigation, and meteorological support systems. The 4th Brigade also has the task of qualifying and training all personnel assigned to the Communication Information Systems, Air Defence radar systems, Air Traffic and weather sectors. The Brigade oversees the 1° e 2nd Technical Communications Department, the Technical Meteorological Centre, the Remote Radar Squadrons distributed across the national territory and the 134th Remote Radar Centre.
It 72nd Stormo of Frosinone, it reports to the Schools Command of the Italian Air Force / 3rd Air Region, is the only school in Italy for the training of helicopter pilots. The Unit, which features as many as five different aircraft configurations (the TH-500, the UH-139, the AB-206 VVF, the RH-206 EI and the AW-139 VVF), provides training not only for Italian Air Force personnel, but also for trainees from other Armed Forces, the State Armed Corps and foreign countries. The inter-service and inter-agency synergy developed in the field of training at the Frosinone Helicopter School is part of a perspective aimed at the continuous improvement of training and the simultaneous optimisation of resources.
