The 7th edition of the JTAC-IQ certification course (Joint Terminal Attack Controller - Initial Qualification) which for the first time this year saw the participation of operators of the German armed forces from German JTAC Competence Center.
The training activity, lasting 13 weeks, provided the necessary training, to highly specialized operators, for the "guide", from privileged observation points, of aerotactic assets in air support operations close to the forces on the ground (Close Air Support, CAS in NATO terminology).
Thanks to the many years of collaboration between the School of Aerocooperation and specific flight departments of the Air Force, the course allows you to experience, in practical activities in environments as realistic as possible, the typical operational situations in which the JTAC, due to its specific skills and characteristics of employment is found to operate alongside the Ground Commander of the Operating Theater of reference.
The entire formative and training process developed by the School of Aerocooperation, divided into successive phases, was conducted through a series of theoretical lessons and practical exercises at the polygons, as well as through the use of a simulator that allowed, through virtual reality , to be able to recreate diversified environments, realistic reconstructions and operating conditions with increasing difficulty, with a significant reduction in the overall costs of administering the course. A further added value, recognized in the course, is represented by the familiarization flights, at the 60th wing of Guidonia, carried out by the JTACs in training, in which they learn and consequently also experience the pilot's point of view (so-called "pilot view") in the conduct of CAS operations at medium and low altitudes.
Given the full compliance with the operational and quality standards required by NATO, the operators qualified by the School of Aerocooperation are also authorized to operate in joint operations with aerotactic assets of different nationalities of the Alliance. As such, the course just concluded is certified "Approved" by NATO and included among the courses of the School of Aerocooperation published in the ETOC (Education and Training Opportunities Catalog) of theAllied Command for Transformation of NATO.
As the commander of the school, Brigadier General Mora, pointed out in his speech, "The JTAC qualification, achieved so painstakingly, is only the starting point for a new and exciting operational career".
The further application phases necessary to obtain the "full" operation of the new JTACs will in fact be carried out directly at the respective departments to which they belong, according to a program edited by the STANEVAL (Standardization and Evaluation) section of the School of Aerocooperation, defined and governed by the a sector which, on a national level, identifies the commander of the Aerocooperation School as the only “Certification Authority”.
