Following the first certification of the Swedish Gripen aircraft at Decimomannu in September 2013, the KC-767A of the 14th Air Wing completes the qualification process for the pilots of the Czech Air Force. The activity is part of a series of bilateral initiatives that have been planned for some time to develop and implement common capabilities in the military field.
The mission, which follows a phase of indoctrination and explanation of the features of the KC767A by the pilots of the Czech Republic at Pratica di Mare, saw the flight training of 6 Gripen aircraft in a working area of the Czech Republic and the execution of numerous refueling contacts. Flight refueling represents a strategic factor for modern military operations as it allows to extend in terms of space and time the effectiveness of the aircraft; it is one of the capabilities with which the Air Force, with the KC-767A of the 14th Squadron, one of the few tankers in the world technically capable of refueling all types of military aircraft, has become currently one of the leading Armed Forces in the field of flight refueling, in technical jargon ’Air-to-Air Refuelling”(AAR). The 14th Air Wing is based at the Military Airport of Pratica di Mare. It is hierarchically subordinate to the Command of the Forces for Mobility and Support of Rome, and conducts support missions in the field of air refueling, radio measurements and personal transport with the KC767A and P180 Avanti aircraft, in full compliance with the plans and directives received from the Air Force Command, the High Command of the Air Force to which the training, preparation and deployment of the assets and personnel operating at the operational units throughout the national territory is assigned. The Wing has also participated in the Unified Protector operations in Libya, ISAF in Afghanistan, Leonte in Lebanon and Lorica in Cyprus, and also ensures the availability and transport support to the Department of Civil Protection.
