EXERCISE 'VEGA 2010'

The exercise, which saw the participation of Italian, Israeli and NATO assets, concluded on Friday 10th December. The first phase, characterised by ‘Air to Air’ type missions, involved the Tornado ECR (Electronic Combat Reconnaissance) fighter-bombers of the 50th Wing of Piacenza, the AMX –ACOL (Operational and Logistic Capability Adjustment) of the 51st Wing of Istrana (Treviso) and the 32nd Wing of Amendola (Foggia), the Eurofighter fighters of the 4th Wing of Grosseto, the F-16 fighters of the 37th Wing of Trapani, the KC-130J tankers of the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa, the MB-339A fighters and the AB-212 helicopters of the 670th Liaison Squadron of Decimomannu.
The Israeli air component comprised F-16 ‘Nets’, F-15 ’Baz‘, and G550 aircraft, while NATO deployed a Boeing 707 AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System). Missile threat simulation systems were also employed at the Capo San Lorenzo and Perdasdefogu (Nuoro) ranges to replicate the operational conditions anticipated by the training scenario. The second phase, characterised by ’Air to Ground' missions, saw the Italian Air Force deploy Tornado ECR fighter-bombers from Piacenza and IDS (Interdiction-Strike) aircraft from the 6th Wing in Ghedi (Brescia).
In Israel, the Italian aircraft missions consisted of eliminating or evading, with the Tornado ECR, the defensive barrier made up of anti-aircraft defences and airborne fighters, and then allowing the Tornado IDS to reach the objective by simulating the release of precision weaponry.
The Israeli Air Force has deployed F-16 ‘Fly Dragon’ fighter jets in this phase, which served as ‘aggressor teams’, that is, tasked with intercepting the Italian Tornados and preventing them from carrying out their assigned mission. To see information on the IAF website, Click here.