The Air Force, in the context of the device implemented in the circumstance by the Ministry of Defense together with the other Armed Forces, is engaged with personnel, special vehicles and helicopters on the places hit by the earthquake to bring help and relief to the populations and provide the contribution requested from the Civil Protection.
A few hours after the terrible earthquake that the 24 August involved several municipalities in the area between Lazio, Umbria and Marche, a VH-139 helicopter at Ciampino's 31 ° Stormo was already flying to carry out the first reconnaissance from above and transport the first Civil Protection assessment teams to the site. At the same time, an HH-139 helicopter of the 15 ° Stormo was deployed, and then permanently relocated to Amatrice, the Air Force department which, through vehicles and crews specialized in air rescue, is ready to intervene throughout the country and in any condition operational. In fact, numerous personnel and material transport operations were carried out at night thanks to the use of special night visors.
Meanwhile, the air bridge continues with the areas hit by the earthquake for institutional transport of authorities, delegations and a team of experts with the helicopters of the Ciampino 31 ° Stormo. The crews, in immediate readiness from the various bases involved, are alternating at the emergency points set up on site.
An important contribution came from the 3 ° Stormo of Villafranca (VR), a department that has the task and the ability to intervene very quickly both nationally and abroad and carry out all the necessary arrangements to put the operational departments of the Armed Force in the condition to operate at its best. In this circumstance, a mobile control tower was moved to the site of the earthquake in a few hours and an advanced first-aid team comprising about twenty units with technical personnel, meteorologists, air traffic controllers, flight line operators and fire-fighting personnel . These arrangements, just after 24 hours after the earthquake, made it possible to fully operate the small heli-surface area set up at Amatrice, guaranteeing essential airport services and the safe management of landings and take-offs of the numerous aircraft involved in the emergency.
In the first few hours following natural disasters such as this, especially if inaccessible and difficult to reach areas are involved, air travel is essential - in addition to transporting personnel and emergency vehicles quickly - for reconnaissance from the affected areas. and subsequent evaluations of intervention. In this context, as it happened for example during the earthquake of L'Aquila in the 2009, the intervention of a Tornado fighter from the 6 ° Stormo of Ghedi (BS) was requested to carry out photographic surveys from the affected areas from the earthquake. Thanks to the sophisticated RECCELITE photographic pod normally used in operations for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR), very high resolution images of the affected centers were made available to the Civil Protection, an essential mapping to define the most effective intervention methods on the ground.
The various requests for support from personnel and vehicles of the Armed Force were handled by the top situations room of the AM, in coordination with the Air Operations Command of Poggio Renatico, the Joint Operational Command (COI) and the Civil Protection.
Working in concert with the Prefectures and Civil Protection, the Defense with its men is a team to support the affected population.
