On April 16th, at the Sigonella military airport, in the presence of the commander of the air team/1st air region, air team general Alberto Biavati, the ceremony of phase-in at the 61st flight group Remotely piloted aircraft (APR) of the MQ-9 block 5 aircraft, a new weapon system that replaces the MQ-XNUMX block XNUMX aircraft. Predator MQ-1C used by the group so far and which represents a significant upgrade in terms of performance and capabilities within the specific and consolidated ISTAR skills (Intelligence, Surveillance Target Acquisition e Recognition) that the Air Force is able to express with remotely piloted aircraft in activities to support the country's security, in particular for the benefit of the community and for surveillance activities for environmental protection.
During the ceremony, the commander of the air squadron/1st air region underlined how “the new structure does not only represent a technological leap: it is the concrete testimony of the ability of our Armed Forces to renew itself, to face the challenges of the present and to prepare with lucidity and determination for those of the future”.
The event was attended, among others, by Colonel Antonio Vivolo, commander of the 32nd Wing, the entity under which the 61st APR flight group is placed, and Colonel Stefano Spreafico, commander of the 41st Antisom Wing and of the Sigonella Airport, an entity that provides fundamental logistical-administrative support and where the group is located.
The commander of the 32nd wing, in his brief greeting, retraced the stages and challenges that led to the introduction of the new APR system, both in terms of training with a long qualification process for pilot personnel, sensor operator and technical, both in logistical and infrastructural terms with the construction of the new TMA (Temporary Maintenance Area), necessary to accommodate the new structure.
