At the 46th Air Brigade a rapid transfer of personnel in danger situation was carried out. The General Staff of the Defense, which coordinates the course born from the agreement between the Ministry of Defense and the National Federation of the Italian Press, chose the 46th Air Brigade as the ideal unit to carry out this type of activity for the participants, since C130-J and C27-J transport aircraft are often called upon to carry out these operations in conjunction with other State institutions.
In the recent past, this happened, for example, to repatriate our compatriots from some states in North Africa in the early stages of the so-called “Arab Spring”.
The journalists participating in the exercise, previously instructed on the safety procedures to be followed during the test, took an active part in the evacuation simulation, an operation that involves the rapid transfer of personnel from a location deemed unsafe. Wearing helmets and ballistic vests and escorted by units of the Force Protection Group, they quickly boarded a C-130J aircraft awaiting in the maneuvering area with engines running and the ramp and door open, a procedure called ERO (Engine Runway Operation) for the subsequent transfer flight. After landing, carried out as part of a pre-planned training mission, the simulation concluded with the transfer to a “safe location,” again under the guard of Brigade personnel.
