Paratroopers of Folgore and Tuscania, Air Force assets and US paratroopers at Mangusta 2018

(To Greater Defense)
06/12/18

Over a thousand paratroopers of the Folgore with specialized and operational units of the paratrooper carabinieri of the regiment Tuscania, specialists in transmissions and electronic warfare, dog groups, assets of the Italian Air Force, and units of US paratroopers, have successfully concluded the multinational and inter-force Mangusta 2018 exercise which took place in the training areas of Tuscany.

La Mongoose, the traditional exercise of the parachute brigade thunderbolt, provided for the opposition on the field of two opposing units to test the skills acquired by their paratroopers in the conception and conduct of operations, following air launch, in non permissive operating environments for the conquest and holding of strategic positions and to allow the influx of Allied Forces in a crisis scenario.

The exercise simulated the immediate NATO intervention with the dispatch of a multinational contingent that conquered the airport occupied by hostile forces with the launch of a first aliquot engaged in a Forcible Entry Operation, that is an Airported operation which aims to prepare the ground for the entry into the Theater of the following groups of forces. This phase of the exercise saw the deployment of all the resources both in terms of defensive and offensive activities, also through the use of the specialist units of the genius destroyers parachute regiment, as well as in the most typical thunderbolt or the interdiction and counter-interdiction of areas aimed at the maximum control of the territory. The infiltration of the paratroopers of the thunderbolt, took place by means of aviolanci with the technique of free fall and air navigation with open parachutes and by the use of boats for infiltration by sea.

During the entire exercise, CDS (Container Delivery System) air-release activities followed to supply and deliver equipment to the troops deployed on the ground through the use of both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft of the Army Aviation and of the Air Force aimed at implementing the projection capability from the air of the Italian Armed Forces.

Of fundamental importance is the role played by the units of the canine groups used with their dogs for the control of the territory, as well as by the transmission and electronic warfare assets that have also played a fundamental role with the radar engagement activities towards the flight arrangements both Italians and Americans.

The exercise represents an excellent opportunity and a significant return for Defense in terms of interoperability and integration with the foreign Armed Forces and maximization of the training value due to the realism of the scenario and for the use of various national and international specialized assets. as well as for updating the professional, technical and tactical skills of the personnel of the Armed Forces belonging to the various specialties.

In addition to the departments of the paratroopers brigade thunderbolt the following took part in the exercise: the Air Force with the 46th air brigade, the Arma dei Carabinieri with the 1st parachute carabinieri regiment Tuscania and the dog-loving nucleus of Florence, the Army Light Aviation with 7th Vega regiment and 1st Antares regiment, the Sardinian Grenadiers regiment, 33rd electronic warfare regiment, 13th Aquileia battalion, military veterinary center, 11th regiment transmissions, 16th Airwing, 121st Counter-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, and US units of the 1-91 CAV, US Air National Guard.