The RRAO (Reconnaissance Regiment and Objective Acquisition) is a department of COM.FO.SE (Army Special Forces Command) - since 2017 is included in the TIER-1 band of the Special Operations Command -, particularly specialized in conducting Reconnaissance Special (Special Recce) and Terminal Guidance Operations (TGO), or the terminal control of each source of fire against targets paying of high strategic value.
The operators are trained to reach the goal before any other in hostile territory, an action that requires the utmost care of the movement and occult observation: videre nec videri, is the Regiment's motto, to underline the modus operandi beyond the enemy lines.
Present in all the recent missions of Italian contingents abroad, the operators of the RRAO played a decisive role in the battle of the bridges in Nassiria, in the 2004, when they accurately identified the militia's sources of fire, allowing their neutralization, without collateral damage for the civilian population.
In Afghanistan, framed in the task force Victor, conducted operations aimed at identifying the Taliban leaders, eliminating them either directly, with sniping actions, or lighting up the targets in favor of domestic air carriers (such as MANGUSTA attack helicopters and AMX fighters) or the coalition.
The LINCE vehicles of the Regiment are also armed with automatic Mk-19 grenade launchers from 40 mm, a very useful weapon if necessary - given the advanced position of the operators - to develop a high volume of fire to break away from an enemy attack.
Among the short weapons the usual Glock-17 and Beretta PX4 Storm stand out, while among the long weapons the Beretta ARX-160A2 is beginning to spread - a specific version for special forces, to which a sound suppressor can be mounted, very useful for who has to work stealthily - even if the M-4 series rifles are always very popular.
In the field of LMG, the version of the Minimi in caliber 7,62x51 mm is preferred to that in 5,56x45 mm for the greater range and power of ammunition.
The field of precision weapons is very accurate, as few precise shots can cause serious damage to the equipment of the enemy device.
In addition to the TRG-42 in caliber .338 Lapua Magnum (8,6x70 mm), there is the Barrett M-82A1 from 12,7x99 used as an anti-material weapon. Probably there are also rifle models in .408 Chey Tac (10,4x77 mm) caliber, like the Italian Thunder.
However, the best weapon of the RRAO is the human eye, as the operators must be able to provide extremely precise indications on the targets to hit.
For this purpose they have the latest equipment, even for night observation, such as the Thales SOPHIE MF thermal chamber, which in 3,5 kg also incorporates a GPS and a laser marker.
Another system is the Israeli CORAL CR, a device that identifies a person up to a distance of 5 km and a vehicle up to 11 km.
Regarding the designation of the targets, initially the Israeli Elop GLTD system (Ground Laser Target Designator) was used, with a maximum range of 10 km, but very cumbersome (the weight reaches 30 kg), created many problems in the case above all of infiltrations on foot. The problem was solved by adopting another Israeli system, the PLRD II, whose optronic head weighs less than 7 kg (to which we must add the batteries and the tripod), with a range of 10 km for vast areas (5 km for a wagon).
It is also true that the JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) missions must follow precise procedures to be successful. The air carrier must be sure of the following signal and that illumina the target, especially if there are friendly departments nearby.
Other departments in the special forces sector can carry out missions in which the target designation is required (9 ° Col Moschin, GOI, 17 ° Stormo), but for 185 ° RRAO operators it is their raison d'être.
Photo: Italian Army
