Between 13 and 17 October, the Experimental Flight Department of the Air and Space Experimentation Aviation Division (DASAS) of Pratica di Mare (RM) has conducted an experimentation activity aimed at verifying the combined airdrop capability from the Aeronautica Militare's C130J and C-130J-30 transport aircraft. The activity was carried out in close synergy with the personnel of the 46a Air Brigade of Pisa And of the Italian Army 45th Airborne Brigade “Folgore”.
The ultimate objective of the activity is to provide the necessary technical evidence for the conferment of combined air launch capability (also referred to as “combo”), which is the possibility of launching personnel equipped with parachutes (EPC-C) and material equipped with T-10C parachutes in a single flyover of the designated area.
The experimental tests were carried out both on the ground, at the 46a Pisa Air Brigade, through installation checks and documentary reviews, as well as in flight, through air-drop operations carried out in the Altopascio area, in the province of Lucca. Engineers, pilots, and test flight technicians from the RSV, and pilots and onboard operators from the 46th took part in the activity.a Air Brigade, paratrooper personnel and technicians from the Folgore Parachute Brigade's Studies and Experiences Office.
This capability is of particular interest to the Air Force, the Italian Army's Aviation troops, and, more generally, to the Defence sector, as, once achieved, it will allow for the rapid deployment of personnel and materiel in reduced spaces and times, consequently increasing the Defence's operational capability in complex and adverse scenarios.
It Experimental Flight Department It is one of six Departments that fall under DASAS and is tasked with supporting the Operational Departments of the Air Force through the experimentation, development, integration, and validation of new weapon systems or those undergoing modification. In response, then, to the changing geopolitical, social, and economic context, RSV has given significant impetus to activities supporting the Operational Departments, essentially through the tool of operational technical certification which allows for the rapid and autonomous implementation of technological solutions capable of meeting new requirements in hostile theatres.
The Air Experimentation Department of Aeronautics and Space brings together all of the Air Force's study and experimentation bodies under a single command. The Division represents the Armed Force's and the Defence Administration's main advisory body for flight testing aircraft and weapon systems, the chemical-physical analysis and evaluation of structural and consumable materials, training and experimentation in the field of aerospace medicine, the management of operational software, and the operational verification of weapon systems. The D.A.S.A.S. also provides technical-logistical and operational support to bodies of the Air Force and other Armed Forces and State Armed Corps located on the site, and, through the Air Terminal Operation Centre (A.T.O.C.), manages flights destined for operations outside national borders. Pratica di Mare Airport is Italy's leading military air base in terms of aircraft traffic and movements, and it is also the sole national military health entry point.
The 46th Air Brigade is employed by Mobility and Support Forces Command in Milan, which reports to its superior High Command: the Air Squad Command and 1st Air Region. The Brigade with its C130J and C27J transport aircraft, opera across a wide range of missions within air transport, both exclusively military – participating in all theatres of operations where the Italian Armed Forces are present – and in a civilian capacity, in conjunction with other state agencies, as occurred during the COVID-19 health emergency, or in interventions during natural disasters, for humanitarian aid or the evacuation of populations in difficulty.
The Office of Studies and Experiences, of the “Folgore” Parachute Brigade, is the technical organisational unit of the Defence that conducts studies, development and evaluations concerning aerial supply. The Office works in close contact with the RSV and the 46th Air Brigade in the testing and validation of all aerial supply systems to achieve Defence objectives.
