Personnel and assets of the Armed Force took part in the Air Centric Personnel Recovery Operatives Course (APROC).
took place in Albacete, Spain, from June 6th to 17th, the’Air Centric Personnel Recovery Operatives Course (APROC), organised by’European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC), a centre concerned with the standardisation of the four phases of personnel recovery (preparation, planning, execution, and adaptation) based in Poggio Renatico (Ferrara).
This year's international exercise saw the participation of Spain, France, Germany and Romania, in addition to Italy. The Air Force deployed personnel and assets from numerous Squadrons: the 9th Wing of Grazzanise with an HH-101 helicopter, the 14th Wing of Pratica di Mare with a G-550 CAEW aircraft (Conformal Airborne Early Warning), 17th Wing of Furbara with STOS (Special Operations Tactical Support) operators, and the 36th of Gioia del Colle, 37th of Trapani and 51st Wing of Istrana with aircraft Eurofighter.
The APROC is designed to train crews in the planning and execution of complex missions in scenarios of Personnel Recovery (PR) fostering integration between all components of a Task Force multinational with diverse types of aircraft.
Its purpose is also to train and qualify participating crews in the roles of Rescue Mission Commander (RMC) through the planning, briefing and debriefing phases of missions Personnel Recovery.
Participation in the APROC 2022 exercise represents an excellent training opportunity for the Air Force to maintain a high level of interoperability and international cooperation in the planning of complex PR missions, and it allows for the establishment of a unique training standard with the Air Forces of the participating countries, with a view to potential future collaboration in international operational scenarios.
The Italian contingent's Deployment Chief, Lt. Col. Giannitti, expressed his satisfaction with how the personnel involved, a key element of any organisation, operated with competence and passion in this training context, enhancing and improving their professionalism.
