An international air defense exercise is being launched in Tunis, in which the Air Force also participates along with the air forces of Algeria, France, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia, the organizing nation of this edition.
The training event, which will end on Thursday 12 November, is part of the activities of the "5 + 5 Initiative", an agreement that since 2004 has involved the countries of the western Mediterranean basin to promote cooperation on common security and defense issues such as surveillance maritime, training, civil protection, search and rescue and, indeed, the very crucial issue of airspace surveillance and defense.
A military transport aircraft, in this case Tunisian, will simulate being a so-called "renegade" civil aircraft, or - as they are called in technical jargon - those civil aircraft arriving or passing through the national airspace whose conduct is potentially dangerous for security as it can be traced back to a possible terrorist action. The command and control and radar surveillance centers of the countries affected by the aircraft's route, as well as the pilots and personnel of the air defense bases involved, will have to react in a timely and coordinated manner to intercept and conduct - just as it would in reality - the threat outside national airspace or forced landing on a designated airport, according to the instructions given from the ground following established protocols. The objective of the exercise, which is carried out annually (the 2014 edition was Italian-led), is precisely to promote and consolidate the adoption of common procedures in the management of cases of this kind, where the competence remains with the individual nations. but where it is essential - given the speed and complexity of the interventions required - to act in a coordinated manner between neighboring nations.
The exercise phase in Italian airspace will be managed by Air Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (Ferrara), the command and control center of the Air Force from where 24 hours on 24 is ensured the surveillance of the national airspace and where necessary from where the immediate take-off orders for interceptor fighters depart. Some officers of the same Air Operations Command instead they will be in Tunis, inside the cell responsible for the direction of the exercise. In this circumstance, the Eurofighter pilots and fighters of the 4 ° Stormo of Grosseto and of the 37 ° Stormo of Trapani will be ready to take off in a few minutes from the "scramble" order, i.e. immediate take-off on alarm, to intercept and escort outside the borders. suspected aircraft or at a designated airport, ensuring continuity with the French and later Tunisian Air Defense assets with a sort of "relay in flight".
All in-flight activities will be conducted within specific training areas and routes, coordinated during the planning phase with the participating countries and with the civil bodies of air traffic control. This is not the first exercise of this type and NATO also regularly carries out the same training and assessment activities as the level of readiness of the integrated air defense system, practicing to face a possible threat in that case of a military nature.
