by Ferdinando Giancotti
The recent media explosion triggered by the Chat GPT phenomenon and many parallel developments have brought new hype to the topics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its regulation. At the same time, the conflagration in a short time of intense and dangerous conflicts, with multiple ramifications, places the issue of defense at the center of global attention. The war in Ukraine, the battle of Gaza, the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea bring to the foreground a new, aggressive Russian threat together with the Middle Eastern question and at the same time connect multiple previous strategic tensions. A spiraling red thread seems to want to draw very worrying scenarios, altering historical balances and hegemonies: from the problem of Iran and its regional proxies, to Russian infiltration in Africa, to Asian issues, first of all the emergence of Chinese power and the risk Taiwan, up to all the Islamist terrorist movements, active everywhere, and much more. It is clear that technology has a very significant role in military balances and therefore in deterrence and the favorable resolution of conflicts.
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by Stefano Cosci
To put it in the words of Lieutenant General Luigi Del Bene, Commander of the ITAF Combat Forces, the twentieth anniversary of the delivery of the first Eurofighter Typhoon to the 4th Wing of the Air Force, was an opportunity to «remember an important piece of the history of the Armed Forces and its evolution, as well as the training, operational and industrial cooperation successes” of the aircraft which represents the backbone of the national air defense. An occasion for which the Commander of the 4th Wing, Col. Pil. Filippo Monti invited some authoritative panelists to Grosseto who, through their testimonies, made authorities, guests and former members of the Wing relive some of the most significant phases of the Eurofighter program that preceded that historic event.
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by Luca Ricci
We are almost there for the long-awaited Air Force tour towards North America. The journey that will take aircraft and personnel of the “Arma Azzurra” overseas will start on June 10th from the base in Rivolto, Udine, home of the Frecce Tricolori. The North American Tour program which will start at the beginning of summer and end in early September will see the participation of the 313th Acrobatic Training Squadron as a valuable shiny asset of the Air Force. The Frecce Tricolori will return to America after over 30 years from the famous “Columbus 92” mission. This incredible adventure will certainly represent a moment of historical significance that goes beyond the narrow scope of international air shows.
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Dear readers, we are pleased to present you the second issue of 2024, an issue, as always, dedicated to the news of the Air Force and the aerospace sector. Before delving into the pages of the periodical, however, give us a little “amarcord”moment: during the writing of this piece, in fact, there were two significant events in the recent centenary history of the A.M. First of all, after 35 years of service, the AMX, the “Topone” to use the nice nickname that has always accompanied it, has definitively left the operational lines of the Italian Air Force. An aircraft that over time has earned, mission after mission, a place first rate, with over 240 thousand flight hours, 18 thousand of which were on missions outside national borders. A farewell which, however, will not be definitive, because four aircraft have been transferred to Piacenza airport San Damiano to become part of the collection of the “Flying Museum” and a fifth will go to the Vigna di Valle Museum. «[…] while one page of our history closes, many others open […]», these are the words of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Lieutenant General Luca Goretti to greet the AMX, remembering how the ITAF is always in continuous transformation and is projected towards the future. The second important moment for the Arma Azzurra, however, takes us back to Grosseto, where exactly 20 years ago the first Eurofighter Typhoon landed, the fighter born from a European collaboration which, if in 2004 it represented the future of the European Air Forces, today it is, to all intents and purposes, the present of the operational capabilities of the Air Force. The F-2000 is the backbone of the national air defense and beyond. With over 200 thousand hours flown and 135 thousand sorties in Italy and abroad, it represents a fundamental asset for our country and for NATO. And it is precisely for the Atlantic Alliance, which turned 75 years old in April, that we have dedicated an article that delves into its current and future context and analyzes Italy’s role within it. Our journey continues to discover the “green” transition that is affecting the Defense sector and which sees the Air Force engaged on the front line. Containing emissions and the environmental footprint, while promoting the resilience of infrastructures from energy dependence, is one of the objectives for which Arma Azzurra is investing decisively. After the innovative approach that led to the creation of a smart district in the center of Rome, we tell you about the design and construction site of a photovoltaic park, which will allow the containment of consumption in a particularly energy-intensive department, which houses the management center of the satellites of the SICRAL program (Italian System for Confidential Communications and Alarms). As per tradition, with the second issue of the Rivista Aeronautica we finally present the aerobatic season of the Frecce Tricolori, which promises to be very special and which will see the PAN engaged overseas in Canada and the United States. After over 30 years the “Ponies“of the 313th Group will return to sail the skies of North America, to give those same emotions that they have always reserved for the Italian public. All we can do is wish you a good read.
by Emanuele Salvati
Italian version