Twenty-one years after the last national alarm service fully insured with its own personnel, vehicles and aircraft, the alarm siren of the Scramble returns to play again at 51 ° Stormo. This time, however, the F-104s are no longer the ones to fly Euro Fighter.
In the midst of a process of transformation of the Department, which will be completed with the decommissioning of the AMX aircraft and its replacement with theEurofighter, Istrana returns to be one of the bases of the national Air Defense.
In this transition phase, the 51st Wing is therefore ensuring, through the 132nd Flight Group, the operation of two flight lines simultaneously: the one Eurofighter, for national Air Defense, and AMX for tactical reconnaissance, the operations of Close Air Support (CAS) and the air-ground attack capability.
A gradual journey that began in 2017 with the deployment of a couple of passengers on the Treviso airport Euro Fighter and the activation of an Air Defense alarm cell ensured in rotation by aircraft of the 4th Wing of Grosseto, the 36th Wing of Gioia del Colle and the 37th Wing of Trapani. A measure made possible thanks to a series of logistic arrangements, especially in terms of infrastructures and plants, prepared in a very short time to ensure the necessary technical and logistical support.
In 2019, following the activation of the line's maintenance bays Eurofighter - specific work areas equipped for technical inspections - the 51st Wing has reached full maintenance capacity, allowing the staff of the Aircraft Efficiency Group (GEA) of the Department to fully take over the maintenance cycle of the Euro Fighter, relieving the F-2000 Operating Departments from this task.
The commander of the Combat Forces, general of air division Francesco Dress, who spoke on the occasion of the first alarm service carried out by the 51st Wing, expressed his applause for the important milestone reached. "The effort made by the Flock, especially in this situation serious emergency for the country, "said General Dressed,"takes more greater relevance as it testifies to the passion, motivation and sense of duty that have always distinguished the daily work of the personnel in blue who allows the Air Force to be with people and for people ".
