The exercise served to test the readiness of UN personnel to carry out relief operations for populations in distress when working in close contact with rotary-wing aircraft. The aim was to train UN personnel to deal with, as effectively as possible, any potential issues that might arise during a real-life rescue operation for people in distress, when working in close proximity to rotary-wing aircraft to unload the transported supplies. The exercise took place at the Brindisi Air Force Airport Detachment and the Punta della Contessa Firing Range (20 km south of Brindisi), where a simulated earthquake that had devastated a large area provided the ideal conditions for testing the participants’ response capabilities. The crew of the 84th C/SAR Centre in Brindisi took part in the final phase of the exercise on 20 April with an HH-3F helicopter, with the task of simulating the transport of medicines and food from Brindisi Airport to the Punta della Contessa Firing Range, landing on a helipad within the Firing Range and ensuring that UN personnel carried out all the procedures for the acceptance and unloading of the humanitarian supplies. The event was preceded by a briefing given by Captain Davide V., the Centre’s Flight Safety Officer, during which all the potential risks associated with the mission and the procedures to be followed were outlined. The simulation was attended by the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Mission to the United Nations, Ms Karen E. Johnson, who, at the end of the exercise, expressed her satisfaction with the activity carried out, thanking the Italian Air Force and Colonel Giambattista Degiuli, Commander of the Brindisi Airport Detachment, for the welcome extended and the ongoing support the Air Force provides to the WFP. The transport of materials and equipment to areas considered hostile, on behalf of and in collaboration with the United Nations, is a task that the Italian Air Force is called upon to carry out using various types of assets, but when the terrain is rugged and lacks suitable landing strips, or the landing area is extremely limited, the only viable option is the helicopter. For these reasons, at Brindisi Airport – from where the WFP carries out its operations – joint exercises are held periodically between personnel from the 84th Centre and the UN, to ensure that training standards and operational readiness remain consistently high, enabling operations to be conducted safely.
