Another important moment of meeting with the military personnel of the Armed Forces for the Undersecretary of State for Defense Angelo Tofalo who on Monday, at Pratica di Mare, visited the Departments of the Experimental Flight Center of the Italian Air Force. Already from the first weeks after the appointment of the 13 last June, Tofalo has undertaken a series of meetings and visits to the command and departments of the Defense to deepen the knowledge of specific military realities, starting from the top of Defense and Armed Forces up to levels subordinates.
To welcome him to the airport "Mario De Bernardi" there were the general logistic commander of the air squadron Giovanni Fantuzzi, on which the Experimental Flight Center depends on the command of the air brigade general Mauro Lunardi.
The visit began with the presentation of the main activities of the Center including the testing and evaluation of the Air Force aircraft and technical equipment, the definition of the methodologies for their use and maintenance, and the control of the software configuration of the aircraft.
"I started a series of meetings and visits to the defense departments to deepen the knowledge of the men and women who every day monitor sensitive places, sail above and below sea level, represent us in missions in Europe and in the world, fly over our and other territories, to find useful solutions to increase their operations and consequently raise our level of security. Today I have seen highly professional soldiers who serve the institutions and the country with extreme competence and passion. It is our duty to offer them the tools to limit their vulnerability to a minimum while carrying out actions with a reach to the limits of human potential.", Undersecretary Tofalo said, underlining that"the Experimental Flight Center represents a real niche of excellence and a source of pride for the Defense".
On this occasion Undersecretary Tofalo had the opportunity to deepen the activities carried out by the three joints of the Experimental Flight Center, which are: Flight Experimental Department, under the command of Colonel Luciano Ippoliti; Aeronautical and Space Materials Technologies Department, led by Colonel Manuele Bernabei; Department of Aeronautics and Space Medicine, directed by Colonel Marco Lucertini.
The undersecretary was presented with the T-346A aircraft which represents the most modern aircraft produced by Leonardo for the advanced training of the Air Force pilots destined to operate mainly on Eurofighter and F-35. Once the safety procedures have been completed, Tofalo has performed a flight on board this aircraft which, associated with a ground based training system composed of several simulation devices, has been designed to satisfy specific cost and effectiveness. training goals. In particular, thanks to its sophisticated simulation technology, students have the opportunity to train in complex scenarios and military pilots to carry out advanced training stages effectively and at reduced costs.
"I am proud to have worn the Aquila Turrita for a day and to have shared the passion for flying that all the pilots of the Arma Azzurra have in common.", Said Undersecretary Tofalo,"training combined with technology is synonymous with safety for all of our military personnel who, in addition to being employed in operational missions, performs daily activities at the service of the community such as medical transport and rescue interventions in public disasters".
The visit continued in the laboratories of the Aeronautical and Space Materials Technologies Department and the Aeronautical and Space Medicine Department. At the end, in saying goodbye and thanking the staff of the Experimental Flight Center, Undersecretary Tofalo wanted to underline that "by virtue of the delegation granted by Minister Trenta, concerning the treatment of problems related to the diffusion of the culture of defense and security, it is my firm intention to continue this tour of visits and meetings with the civil and military defense personnel to know personally and be able tell the different realities where our women and our men work".
The Experimental Flight Center, constituted the 1 ° March 1999, is the main consulting body of the Blue Arm for the study, research, testing and technical-operational evaluation of the aircraft and weapon systems associated with them, also for the benefit of other Armed Forces and State Armed Corps.
The Experimental Flight Department is the only one in Italy to have as primary institutional task that of studying and conducting all the ground and flight tests of the Air Force aircraft, developing the modest software and hardware of aeronautical weapons systems, as well as performing the Operational Test and Evaluation of new weapon systems in the real context of use. Furthermore, it directly supports the Air Force Operations Departments through the experimentation, integration and validation of new weapons systems or those subject to modification. He has pilots as test pilots, engineers, technicians and experimental mechanics, whose training takes place in the United States, Great Britain and France at the only recognized "Test Pilot School". The Italian astronauts Maurizio Cheli, Roberto Vittori and Luca Parmitano, before being selected by the European Space Agency, were test pilots at the Experimental Flight Department.
The Aeronautical and Space Materials Technologies Department carries out activities in the fields of materials science, analytical chemistry, applied chemistry and merchandise. In these fields the Department expresses the capacity for analysis, control, investigation and experimentation, performs technical-operational assessments, experiments and investigations on the effectiveness of weapon systems and weaponry materials of aeronautical interest, performing in all these fields. staff training and qualification activities. The peculiar investigation capacity of the Aeronautical and Space Materials Technologies Department is an almost unique resource on the national scene and, for this reason, it is often used by other Armed Forces, by the Aeronautical Armaments and Aero-navigability Department, by the National Agency Flight Safety and, upon specific request, by the Public Prosecutor's Offices.
The Department of Aeronautical and Space Medicine is the only Military Institution that provides the aerofisiological training of sailing personnel, in compliance with current legislation and the national reference directive. The Department is equipped with sophisticated environmental simulation equipment, including the hypobaric chamber, the spatial disorientator, the ejection seat trainer and the night vision training laboratory. In coordination with the collateral Departments of the Experimental Flight Center, it carries out study and research on emerging issues of aeronautical and space medicine, carrying out experiments and technical verifications on aeronautical apparatuses, electro-medical equipment and on boarding and wearable equipment. The Department is a reference for the national scientific community in the field of aerospace medicine and human factors and maintains numerous relationships of scientific collaboration with university departments and research institutions, including the Italian Space Agency in the world. "
