The AM-X fighters of Task Group ‘Black Cats’ in Herat have reached the coveted milestone of 1,000 sorties. The AM-X fighters of Task Group ‘Black Cats’, deployed in Herat under the command of Regional Command West, have reached the milestone of 2,500 flight hours, approaching 1,000 sorties across the whole Afghan territory. The change of command of the Task Group between Major Salvatore Lombardi, outgoing Commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Davide Testa, incoming Commander, which took place on Saturday 26th March, was an opportunity to take stock of the activities carried out by the Italian Air Force’s AM-X fighters. “We have reconnoitred 2,000 sites with over 22,000 photographs which have been processed and distributed by our photo-interpreter section,” said Major Lombardi. “These numbers measure the growing importance of aerial reconnaissance, also for the benefit of the population, thanks to the possibility of verifying the progress of works on roads, bridges, and infrastructure for the social and economic development of Afghanistan from above.” Task Group ‘Black Cats’ also ensures the protection of ground troops by carrying out aerial surveillance missions and Close Air Support (CAS), providing Commanders, thanks to reconnaissance systems, with a wide range of useful information to best carry out their assigned task and increase the security and knowledge of the area of operations.
