Positive balance sheet for carrier strike groups Italian, his first participation in the exercise Pitch Black held in Darwin (Australia) from 12 July to 2 August. The national aircraft carrier group participated with two units, the aircraft carrier Cavour and the frigate Alpine, 13 planes (between Av-8B and F-35B) and 3 helicopters, employing a total of approximately 800 people on board and on the ground.
“We leave Darwin with a wealth of experience, in terms of training and cooperation, and with the awareness of having shown the most valuable professional skills of the Navy and the excellence of Italy, alongside the Air Force – this is the summary of the commander of the CGS, rear admiral Giancarlo Ciappina – The fact that it was the first time in 43 years that a carrier strike group and an aircraft carrier participated in the purely aerial exercise, organized by the Royal Australian Air Force, certainly aroused a lot of curiosity, which we fully satisfied thanks to the preparation of our crews. We have been ready, flexible and versatile: characteristics have allowed us and will allow us in the continuation of the campaign to strengthen and consolidate the strategic projection of Defense with assets and capabilities that very few nations are equipped with, also putting us in a position to intervene anywhere in the world and in every scenario".
The numerical report of the Navy at Pitch black 24 speaks of 22 days of training, more than 180 hours of flight in total for the aircraft of theAir wing embarked, 110 ground attack air missions, in-flight refueling, take-offs and landings, air-to-air interactions, escort, "Suppression of Enemy Air Defense" (SEAD), command and control. Overall, the exercise has this year recorded, for the first time in 43 editions, the record number of participants: 20 countries, 140 planes, 4500 people.
“Finding ourselves planning and flying missions, some of which were very demanding, represented an opportunity for growth for each of the pilots assigned to the group and for the specialist staff operating from the ground. We were able to fly in packs of 40 or more aircraft, including American F-22 fighters, Singaporean F-15s and Indian SU-30s, dealing with different tactics and procedures, refueling from tanker aircraft of various nationalities within an airspace as large as half the size of France, in the presence of air-to-ground polygons and emitters of all kinds. The collaboration with our Air Force colleagues with whom we operated in an effective, synergistic and interchangeable manner was also fundamental and constructive, to consolidate the national 5th generation expeditionary sea-based capability" said the captain of the vessel Gian Battista Molteni, commander of the Embarcato aircraft group, on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the exercise, which took place at the Australian air base in Darwin.
During the exercise, which represented a fundamental step towards achieving the Initial Operational Capacity (IOC – Initial Operational Capability) of the embarked aerotactic generation component, the Navy pilots were called to play the role of mission commander, leading formations made up of up to 30 aircraft, all belonging to different nations with 4th and 5th generation assets.
The captain of the vessel Dario Castelli, commander of theair wing boarded, in this regard he specified that: “The IOC of the F-35B component will allow us to operate with the Allies, ensuring complete interoperability and interchangeability. From this perspective, our participation in the Pitch Black 2024 exercise allowed us to increase and strengthen the ability to project air-naval power from the sea, even in theaters located at greater distances than the Wider Mediterranean and for prolonged periods of time. I underline that currently our country is the only one in Europe capable of expressing a credible projection capacity from the sea based on a 5a generation like the F-35B".
As confirmed by Air Commodore Pete Robinson, commanding officer of the PB24 exercise, during its last intervention to close the training event, the flag-bearing unit of the carrier strike groups, the aircraft carrier Cavour, played an extremely important role, generating numerous air missions and creating, with its presence at sea, a realistic scenario in line with current operational theaters. The unit also acted as a command and control platform, facilitating the planning and coordination of air operations, making use of the support and protection ensured by Nave Alpine, sharing the tactical situation in Italy with the command in chief of the naval squadron (CINCNAV) and the command of air operations (COMCOA).
During the exercise, the Open Day took place on board the ship on 21 July Cavour, which allowed approximately 1000 civilians (in three hours of opening to the public) to board; Furthermore, numerous visits were received from Australian institutions and top authorities, including the Governor General of Australia, the Hon. Samantha Joy Mostyn, the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, the Hon. Richard Marles, the Governor of the Northern Territory, Professor Hugh Heggie, the Minister for Education, the Hon. Mark Monaghan, the Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Cavo Dragone, accompanied by top authorities from the Australian Defence, the Navy and the Air Force and the Italian ambassador to Australia Paolo Crudele.
Il carrier strike groups is engaged in the operational campaign in the Indo-Pacific, which started last June 1st from Taranto, and is expected by further commitments in Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Oman and Saudi Arabia and by numerous training activities that will allow integration with other multinational forces operating in the area, thus highlighting its structure international by design, i.e. a modular and scalable structure with both national and international structures with which it will gradually interact. The level of ambition leads the CSG to achieve the objective of multi carrier generations with other nations, consolidating and strengthening the national presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
