Established in 1951, the Air Force of the Army (AvEs) has become over the course of a fundamental asset for operations outside the area of the Italian Armed Forces.
In the past twenty years, Army helicopters have operated in all the operational contexts in which our soldiers were engaged, from Afghanistan, to Iraq, to Lebanon. Such a commitment has also seen an increase in the type of machines available. Certainly the entry into service of the medium HH-90 helicopter (photo opening in the background) represented a significant leap in quality for the specialty, both in terms of performance and implementation of missions.
These machines have shown all their versatility in the difficult Afghan theater, where the high altitudes gave many problems to less powerful helicopters. Going up the category we find the Boeing CH-47F, purchases in 16 copies, aircraft with high load capacity. However the year the Ministry of Defense canceled the acquisition of 4 machines in the ER (Extended Range) version, equipped with an in-flight refueling probe and additional tanks, so as to make their autonomy almost unlimited.
These machines would have allowed our detachments of special forces to be able to intervene in strategic contexts, distant from Italy, perhaps to free one of our compatriots held hostage by gangs of criminals, affiliated with jihadist organizations (if you decide not to pay ransoms anymore).
The agreement for the purchase of 15 AW-169MA has recently materialized, it is a first batch, to be included in a larger program aimed at replacing the fleet of 205, 212, 412 and 109 still in service and now worn out for decades of intense use.
The combat helicopter deserves a separate discussion - for the Army Exploration and Escort Helicopter (EES) - AH-129D Mongoose (32 operating machines, opening photo in the foreground). The first European combat helicopter, he experienced his baptism of fire in Somalia in 1993; in Afghanistan the Mangusta have often solved serious situations, inflicting heavy losses on the Taliban militias, so much so that they are nicknamed death Black.
The replacement should be the AW-249 (image), a Leonardo project. In our opinion, a partner should be found to share the costs of implementation, given that the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic will almost certainly decrease the appropriations for Defense.
Images: Italian Army / Leonardo
