The Air Force participated last June 26 in the "Vieste Air Show 2022" air show on the Gargano coast, organized by the Bari Aeroclub in collaboration with the municipal administration of Vieste.
It was from the "Blue Day" of 2002, which took place inside the Amendola airport - seat of the 32nd wing - that the province of Foggia did not host an air show of such magnitude.
A large audience was able to attend the performances of various aircraft of the Italian Air Force. The notes of the national anthem kicked off the air show, while a HH-139 helicopter from the 15th flock of Cervia flew over the coast with the Tricolor. Afterwards, the crew of the same helicopter simulated a rescue and recovery mission of a castaway at sea.
The assets of the Air Force were among the main protagonists of the flight program of the event: two Eurofighters of the 4th wing simulated the interception of a civil aircraft in emergency following the loss of radio contact, one of the most common cases in the '' scope of air defense activities ensured and conducted - 24 hours a day, 24 days a year - by interceptor fighters of the Armed Force; also worth noting was the participation of an AMX aircraft of the 365st Istrana wing, which showed the public the high versatility of the aircraft by carrying out a CAS (Close Air Support) mission simulation, close air support missions, in the context of which an "engagement" by a J-TAC (Joint Tactical Air Controller), highly specialized personnel who has the fundamental role of directing the aerial assets from the ground to the assigned target, was also reproduced.
The entrance on the scene of an F35A of the 13th flight group of the 32nd wing was evocative and exciting. The 5th generation aircraft simulated a close air combat with a hostile aircraft, demonstrating the extraordinary capabilities and potential through evolutions and turns at very high angle of attack and maximum load factor, as well as an impressive acceleration.
The commander of the AM Schools and of the 3rd Air Region, Air Squad General Silvano Frigerio, who spoke on behalf of the head of SMA, said: "every day we are away from the spotlight and from the eyes of the people, but every day, through assiduous training, we express operational capabilities in order to guarantee the defense and security of the country. We are therefore talking about the defense of national airspace and NATO, the SAR (Search And Rescue), recovering missing people, the transport of citizens in imminent danger of life, because the Air Force has the privilege of saving lives. As well as, where necessary, with our aircraft and our personnel we operate outside the borders national, for example in Iceland, in the Baltic, on the east flank of NATO and in Iraq. Air shows like this allow the Air Force to get even closer to citizens, demonstrating many of these operational capabilities in the service of the country, as well as to the excellence of the Frecce Tricolori, visiting card of the Armed Forces, of Defense and of the country all over the world ".
The Frecce Tricolori held the audience in suspense with 25 minutes of performances, a program that thanks to intense and continuous training allows you to draw in the sky - less than two meters away between one aircraft and another - eighteen incredible acrobatic "figures". Among these, particularly admired the figure of the "bomb", performed all over the world by PAN alone, that of the "heart" configuration and the "spark".
"Returning to perform after two years among the people, for the people, generates enormous enthusiasm and pride in us", said the ten.col. Stefano Vit, commander of the 313th "Frecce Tricolori" acrobatic training group. "The affection and passion that the public shows us are our best gratification, the result of a work carried out by simple people and based on sound principles to represent our country, in Italy and abroad".
The evening before the event, a sign of close collaboration between all the military and civil entities involved in the organization of the Air Show, a concert was held at the Vieste amphitheater by the fanfare of the school command AM / 3rd aerial region of Bari, directed by the 1st lgt. Nicola Cotugno, whose repertoire has, among other things, paid homage to the masters Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota.
