Mrs Heidi Grant also visited the FACO facilities in Cameri (NO) and the Alenia Aermacchi plants in Venegono (VA). In particular, on Tuesday 16 July, a working meeting was held, chaired at Palazzo Aeronautica by the Head of the III Department of the SMA, Air Brigadier General Gianni Candotti, which was attended by several SMA sector experts. This occasion allowed for an update on issues already addressed at a different level, on the occasion of the Operator Engagement Talks (Rome, 15-19 April) and the visit to the USA by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Pasquale Preziosa (10-11 June). Specifically, during the meeting, topics related to collaboration in the sector of’ Air to Air Refueling (with specific reference to the potential of the AM KC-767A tanker aircraft), to basing in EuropeJoint Strike Fighter, to sharing the experiences gained by the AM in the T-346 and “High Efficiency Trainer”and collaboration in the training sector. A session of the meeting, attended by Inspector General Francesco Langella, Deputy Technical Director of the Air Armaments Directorate, was mainly dedicated to detailed discussions about the management of contracts relating to the Predator programme. The visit concluded with a meeting with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Squad General Pasquale Preziosa. On Wednesday 17th July, the US delegation, accompanied by Air Brigadier General Fabio Giunchi and Colonel Michele Devastato, visited the Alenia Aermacchi facilities in Venegono where, among other things, they toured the assembly line for the T-346 aircraft. The visit then continued to Cameri for a tour of the Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO), the Cameri infrastructure involved in the production and assembly of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. On this occasion, Ms. Grant repeatedly expressed to Brigadier General Lucio Bianchi, Director of the Cameri Polifunctional Centre for Aerotactical Aircraft, her appreciation for the fruitful collaboration in progress between the Air Force and the highly technological industrial plant built on the Cameri site.
