The training activity, focused on refueling capacity in flight as a strategic tool to increase the effectiveness of air power, was also attended by the Armée de l'Air with the KC-135 aircraft, the Luftwaffe with the Airbus A310 aircraft and the Royal Netherlands Air Force with the KDC 10 aircraft.
The primary objective of the EART 2015 was to implement cooperation between the air forces of the member nations in order to increase the level of interoperability in multinational operations.
The exercise was sponsored and promoted by the European Air Transport Command (EATC) whose mission is to share the capabilities of air transport, in-flight refueling and medical air transport, among partner countries (Germany, France, Spain, Belgium , Holland, Luxembourg and Italy) in order to optimize their use.
The EART also provided support for the international Frisian Flag 2015 exercise, which took place at the Leeuwarden Air Base (Netherlands). In particular, the Italian KC 767A carried out refueling operations in flight with the Spanish F-18 aircraft.
Italy since December 2014 has joined the EATC. This agreement is part of the initiatives aimed at revising the military instrument for the rationalization of available resources.
The KC-767A of the 14 ° Stormo is one of the few assets in the world technically capable of supplying all types of military aircraft. Thanks to this capacity, Italy is currently one of the leading countries in the in-flight refueling sector.
The 14 ° Stormo di Pratica di Mare (RM) hierarchically depends on the Command of the Support and Special Forces. The Stormo conducts support missions in the field of in-flight refueling with the KC767A aircraft and advanced multi-engine training and radio measurements with the P.180 Avanti aircraft. The Stormo also guarantees the on-call and personal transport service in support of the Civil Protection Department.
Source: 14 ° Stormo - Pratica di Mare (Rm) - serg. Alessandra Tirelli
