The personnel of the 32nd and 51st Air Wings and the technical staff of the 3rd R.M.V. celebrated the historic milestone of 200,000 flight hours for the AM-X line. The AM-X aircraft of the Italian Air Force participated in all international security operations under UN and NATO mandates in 1995 in Bosnia, in 1999 in Kosovo and in 2011 in Libya. Since 2009, four AM-X aircraft have been operating in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, under the ’Black Cats“ task group of the Joint Air Task Force, ensuring the safety of personnel operating on the ground thanks to the surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the fighter jets. Since last year, the ”Black Cats“ task group has expanded the range of missions assigned, with the enhancement of those dedicated to providing close air support to coalition forces and to Afghan forces.
The achieved milestone is the result of a constant rate of growth in efficiency that the Aeromobili Efficiency Groups of the 32nd of Amendola (FG) and the 51st Squadron of Istrana (TV), together with the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Department, have guaranteed over all these years, ensuring logistical support without interruption and a high level of professionalism, passion and expertise that has always distinguished the technical staff of the Italian Air Force.
The event took place in the presence of Air Division General Roberto Nordio, Commander of the Combat Force Command, Colonel Mauro Lunardi, Commander of the 51st Wing, Colonel Giancarlo Maragucci, Commander of the 32nd Wing, and Colonel Lucio Lorenzon, Director of the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Department of Treviso. “TAll those present here should give you a pat on the back for contributing to the success of this program. It is equally important to remember the units of AMX that contributed to achieving this result and that are no longer with us or no longer operate on combat aircraft today; I am referring to the contribution made by the 2nd and 3rd Squadrons, the 14th and 28th Group”- said General Nordio addressing the personnel of the AM-X Divisions and, continuing, he wanted to remember the fellow pilots who “They lost their lives serving the country with this aircraft; a single name for all: Colonel Davide Franceschetti, awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valor”.
Of the 130 AM-X aircraft that entered service with the Air Force starting in the 1990s, about 50 aircraft have been upgraded to enable them to continue to fulfill their mission appropriately. To increase their operational capabilities, the original version was equipped with a system for refueling in flight, the cockpit was made compatible with the use of night vision goggles, and the on-board avionics system allows the AM-X to use state-of-the-art precision armament. The AM-X line will need to be replaced in the next ten years to reach the operational life cycle limit of the machine.
The AM-X is a single-engine aircraft, also available in the advanced training bi-seat version, that is the result of an industrial collaboration between Italy and Brazil capable of performing close support missions, tactical reconnaissance and aerocoverage with surface forces (terrestrial and naval). As a testament to a decades-long relationship of collaboration with the Italian industry, the presence of a representative of the Ditta Alenia-Aermacchi staff was significant; this included the Director of Domestic Defence Market and International Collaborations, Mr. Placido De Maio, and some authoritative representatives of the same Ditta operating in the Customer Support & Service sector.
