The new “Typhoon” eagles have been awarded their end-of-course certificates: Lieutenant Franco Paolo M., Lieutenant Emiliano B., and Lieutenant Gianluca C. for the 15th C.C.O.; Captain Daniel M. and Captain Emanuele R. for the 15th C.C.O. short A; Captain Roberto L. and Captain Stefano L. for the 15th C.C.O. short B; Captain Roberto S. and Lieutenant Davide B. for the 16th C.C.O. short A.
During the ceremony, presided over by Brigadier General Roberto Nordio, Commander of the Combat Forces, and Brigadier General Stefano Salamida, Course Patrón, the following were also awarded: Lieutenant Franco Paolo M. as “Best Student”, for being the student who demonstrated the best performance during the course, and Lieutenant Emiliano B. as “Best System User”, for being the student who obtained the highest average score in the PCL phase training missions, the latter award being offered by Ditta Elettronica.
In addition to the end-of-course diplomas, commemorative plaques were also presented to all the attendees.
The event was attended by Colonel Michele Morelli, Commander of the 4th Air Wing, Colonel Balestri, Commander of the 36th Air Wing in Gioia del Colle (BA), Major Zaniboni and Major Vergallo, Commanders of the X and XII Groups respectively, Major Ghiadoni, Commander of the IX Group, and Mr. Raschellà, as representative of Ditta Elettronica.
The attendees elected Major Daniele Mastroberti as the best instructor, presenting him with a plaque.
During the evening, Lieutenant Colonel Davide Marzinotto, Commander of the 20th Group, took the opportunity to present the “lion-like spirit” plaque to Lieutenant Colonel Alfio Lombardo, Commander of the 504th SLO Group, in gratitude for the valuable support received.
The ceremony attests to the increase in the number of pilots that the 20th O.C.U. Group has converted to flying the Eurofighter aircraft, and represents a commendable achievement that ensures, without interruption, the national and international airspace surveillance service provided by the units equipped with Eurofighter aircraft.
Colonel Morelli, in his speech, emphasized that “[…] The Eurofighter is a futuristic and technologically highly sophisticated machine that requires consistency and perseverance in daily flight training. A daily challenge that shapes the pilot by tempering their character and personality..”
General Stefano Salamida, for his part, stated that the 20th Group “ […] It plays a fundamental role in the training process of the navigation personnel destined for the F-2000 line, because it is carried out with an unchanged sense of responsibility and a constantly alive spirit of belonging to the Armed Forces despite the continuous and progressive economic restrictions..”
General Nordio, finally, concluded the ceremony by pointing out that “ […] The end of the course is nothing more than the beginning of a new training process to further increase our experience and operational readiness to intervene, in any scenario, with maximum efficiency and effectiveness..”
