First refueling in flight for the HH-101A helicopter of the 9th Grazzanise wing

(To air Force)
28/07/21

For the first time, on 20 July 2021, a crew made up entirely of pilots and on-board operators of the 9th "F. Baracca" wing of Grazzanise (CE) carried out, in complete autonomy, a training mission to refuel in flight ( Helicopter Air to Air Refueling - HAAR) with the HH-101A helicopter.

This complex training activity, conducted with the collaboration of a KC-130 tanker aircraft of the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa and the personnel of the Experimental Flight Department of Pratica di Mare (RM), is part of the process of acquiring the "Full Operational Capability" of the 9th wing on the HH-101A helicopter and allows to extend the range of action of the asset making it more projectable and effective in operational contexts.

During the activity the helicopter of the "Prancing Horse" department made about ten hooks to the tanker, both in "dry" mode, ie without fuel transfer and "wet" with fuel reception. The activity also included the completion of training flight maneuvers with the KC-130 necessary to carry out the complex procedures in a standardized way and in complete safety.

The ability to refuel in flight with rotary wing assets, due to its complexity and the need to have specific means, is unique in a national context and a prerogative of a few nations globally.

The 9th wing, named after "Francesco Baracca", with its HH-212 and HH-101A helicopters employed by the 21st "Tiger" flight group, carries out air support activities for special operations and Personnel Recovery both in Italy and in the context of international missions, it provides air support to the surface forces and guarantees, in the presence of wounded, emergency medical evacuation activities.

With the Riflemen of the Air, the department contributes to the safety device of military deployments abroad, to peacekeeping and humanitarian relief operations, as well as to the implementation in the national field of protection measures on the occasion of major events or maintenance of public order. In addition, the flock ensures the function of "Host Nation Support" in favor of the co-located 2nd NATO "Signal Battalion", which has the task of acting as a mobile operations center for telecommunications (CIS - Communications and Information Systems - NATO military communication and information systems) of the Atlantic Alliance and ensures the availability of the semi-prepared runway, parallel to the main one to support the training activity of the Air Force, as well as authorized foreign Armed Forces.

The Department is directly dependent on the 1st Special Operations Air Brigade of Furbara (RM) and reports to the command of the Rome-based air team.