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La difesa aerea dell'AM, nella
seconda metā degli anni '90
verteva su due sistemi d'arma : l'F-104S-ASA-M e su 24 Tornado F.3/ADV
ricevuti
in “leasing” a partire dal Luglio 1995. Il 9 Maggio 2003,
sulla Hill AFB,UT, avviene la
cerimonia ufficiale dell'accettazione del primo F-16A-ADF per l'AM :
MM7238
[USAF 80-0615]. * 07.06.88
ricerche
storiche e testo di Daniele Mattiuzzo
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The air defense of the Italian Air Force in the second half of the '90s concentrated on two weapon systems : the F- 104S -ASA -M and 24 Tornado F.3/ADV received in "leasing" from July 1995. For the F- 104S -ASA -M was planned the total radiation in 2007 , while the Tornado ADV is envisaged the return from July 2005 and to be ended in 2007. The new Eurofighter Typhoon, who was planned to enter in service at least in the early 2000s, had accumulated several years of delay for which was indicated a possible extension of the lease of the Tornado F.3 , or another interim solution with the delivery of a new weapon system . The choice of aircraft gap filler fell back on the F- 16 Fighting Falcon : the U.S. government undertook to ensure that the flight hours , the ItAF had expressed in a total of 45,000 , to be carried out with the use of 34 F -16A / B in ADF variant , properly refurbished and updated. On 15 March 2001 , were signed two protocols ( Foreign Military Sales) , the first relating to the lease of 34 aircraft and the second concerning all activities necessary to ensure the requirement of the Armed Force . In addition to the 34 aircraft were also supplied 4 units, not flying, of F- 16A as source of spar and replacement parts. The leasing program , was timed from 2004 to 2010 and involved the equipment of three Gruppi: 10°,18° and 23° yet equipped with the F- 104S -ASA -M The whole program was named PEACE CEASAR. For technical support program see the participation of two major contractors : Lockheed Martin for the airframe and Pratt & Whitney for the engine. The aircraft set aside at AMARC (Davis- Monthan AFB, AZ) will be submitted to the program Falcon-up/Service Life Improvement Program and Falcon 2020 with major work on the structure necessary to ensure the extension of life from 4,000 to 8,000 flight hours, and the replacement of the engine with the variant F-100- PW- 220E . The aircraft , after reconditioning, will also receive the Have Glass anti-radar coating , which reduce the radar cross section (radar signature) of approximately 15 -20% . After the selection of the serial number between ships set aside at the AMARAC , the aircraft were then transported to the Ogden ALC at Hill AFB, UT , for reconditioning . The package of the Peace Ceaser included the formation of 38 pilots , some of whom later qualified instructors, all at the 195th FS 'Warhawks' / 162nd FW Arizona ANG, at Tucson IAP. They would be trained in the U.S., also 119 specialists in different categories , and then some qualified instructors to continue in Italy the training procedure of other technical staff . *IN SERVICE WITH THE ITALIAN AIR FORCE On 9 May 2003 , on Hill AFB, UT , takes place the official ceremony of acceptance of the first F -16A -ADF for the AM: MM7238 [ USAF s/n 80-0615 ] . The first delivery begins June 25, 2003 : Hill AFB at 05:15 AM local time [ 13.15 in Italy ] three F- 16B and two F -16A ADF are ready to take off, in the back seat of the biplace the pilots are Italian . The ferry flight , involves 5 in-flight refueling and after an 8 hour flight is scheduled a technical stop in Lajes AB , Azores Islands . The flight ends at Trapani -Birgi Airport on June 28. On 17 July , always in Trapani , at the presence of the Capo di Stato Maggiore and senior military Officiers , takes place the official ceremony of delivery of the first F -16. As early as January 1, 2004 , as planned , the 23° Gruppo is declared combat ready and the Falcon put into the system of the National Air Defense . The 23° Gruppo will receive a total of 11 aircraft and their maintenance will involve about 200 people, of which about 150 Officers and non-commissioned Officers plus 50 civilian technicians of American companies . Since 29 March 2004 the Air Force , has provided air defense (mainly with the F- 16 in Cervia ) of Slovenia, who not possess an own fighter aircraft . In the standard configuration from interception, the equipment includes: a pair of AIM- 9L Sidewinder and a pair of AIM- 120C -5 AMRAAM , plus 511 rounds of 20 mm for the M-61 Vulcan cannon. Deliveries of the Fighting Falcon will end in November 20, 2004 with the arrival of the last four ships. In 2006, the 23° Gruppo , introduced his emblem, in form of a black yellow edged stylized greyhound, on the tail of all his Falcon . The first aircraft to receive this coloration was the MM7243 . Meanwhile, on 28.03.06 , the 10° Gruppo leaves the 9° Stormo to become part of the 37° Stormo at Trapani -Birgi Airport. On the occasion of the 4th session 2006 of NATO TLP / Tactical Leadership Program, helding on the Air Base of Florennes Belgium , made their appearance the two flagship of the 37° Stormo : MM7255 with, in low visibility, chess on the rudder and the emblem of the 18° Gruppo , the MM7261 instead with a black "X" and a spear behind the air intake to represent the 10° Gruppo (X stay for 10 in Roman numbers). It will not be long then , that the coats of arms of the two Gruppi will be affixed on both sides of the F -16 , in a double face way , sometimes with different variations. On 20 June 2008 on the airport of Cervia - San Giorgio is celebrated the 90th anniversary of 23° Gruppo . For the occasion , was presented the now inevitable special color : MM7251 , with different colours on the sides of the vertical tail. The readiness of the 23° Gruppo is shown by the numerous real scramble due to the interception of aircraft out of route or unauthorized overflights of national territory . On the occasion of participation in TLP Flying Course 2009-3 , in May 2009, the MM7239, 37° Stormo, becomes the flagship of both Gruppi showing their coats of arms on both sides of the tail. Also the 37° Stormo achieved important goals when , on June 8, 2009 , are celebrated at the same time 1000 flight hours on the F-16 of the two Commanders of the Gruppi. Even for this event are prepared two elegant special liveries : the MM7240 black and green as the flagship for the 18° Gruppo and the scarlet / silver MM7249 for the 10° Gruppo. The 2010 was an important milestones ... but also of painful downsizing for the F-16 line. On January 14 , at the airport of Trapani - Birgi was reached the goal of 40,000 flight hours by the entire fleet of italian F-16 Yet another special: MM7253 , although limited only to the vertical tail where they appear the emblems of the three Gruppi , together with the stylized wording 40,000 HOURS . In anticipation of the impending closure of 23° Gruppo and the 5° Stormo , in April 2010, was organized a small demonstration in which the focal point is the creation of two more specials ! . Limited to the tail albeit in different variants for each side : the MM7236 with the depiction of Diana the Huntress , the insignia of the 5° Stormo . Certainly more extensive and radical instead , the paint on the MM7244 , the viper snake to symbolize the nickname universally attributed to the F -16 Viper . On 4 June 2010, the latest 5° Stormo's F-16 finally leave the airport for Cervia to Trapani , where some will be remain to the 37° Stormo and others will leave for the United States. As early as May 2010, the GEA/37° Stormo was preparing the Falcons for the return to Davis- Monthan AFB, AZ , where it will be set aside at the 30th AMARG. The work also included the removal of tricolor roundels and affixing the star & bars insignia; but the tricolor roundels are restored since the return operation was totally managed by the Air Force . The ferry flights, in fact, are performed by italian pilots, with a team of specialists who, due the fact that the USAF no longer have qualified personnel on the ADF variant , peformed all the phases of post-flight and pre- conservation (fluids drainage , securing moving parts etc . ) . A first flight of six Vipers, let Trapani June 22, 2010 for the United States , followed by the six other in July 27. After almost seven years , the 10° Gruppo end the use of the F -16 and staying at the 37° Stormo. On 1 July 2010 he becomes part of the 36° Stormo at Gioia del Colle flying the EF-2000 Typhoon .. On October 5,2010 with a sad ceremony , at the airport Cervia - San Giorgio , the 23° Gruppo and 5° Stormo where decommisioned putting the end of a long and important part of the history of the Aeronautica Militare after the WW II. Meanwhile , towards the end of 2010 , the remaining special colours ships where repainted in the standard AM grey, without Have Glass finish. On December 6, 2010, the MM7245 , make his last flight landing on the Aviano AB , in anticipation of its preservation as gate-guardian . The conclusion of the lease , scheduled for December 31, 2010 , is extended until June 2012 , with total utilization extended to 47,000 flight hours. The 2011 is rather challenging for the 18°Gruppo , the resolution no.1973 of the UN Security Council , started the US-led Operation Odyssey Dawn , strike missions over Libya by France and the United Kingdom. Italy given its geo-strategic position , offers seven air bases , including, of course, Trapani-Birgi , where its F-16 are in a state of high alert and are among the first responders with defense tasks air and to enforce a no-fly zone limits to the Libyan aviation aircraft . From 31 March 2011 , the combat missions over Libya have passed under the control of NATO with the beginning of the operation Unified Protector . Due to his geographical location, Trapani host together the Tornado IDS / ECR and Typhoon Units, with, from 1st April 2011, the formation of the Birgi Air Task Group , including the F-16s of the 37° Stormo. In this context of operation, the June 14, 2011 , was celebrate the 45,000 hours of flight achieved by the fleet of F-16 in Italian service. The event took place on the airport of Trapani at the presence of Gen.SA Tiziano Tosi, as Commander of the Fighter component of the Aeronautica Militare At the end of June the Birgi Air Task Group totaled 3,000 hours of flight . From this period , only a year was left to the end of the operational life of the Fighting Falcon or better ... the Viper ! an interim interceptor that has been used with excellent results by the Aeronautica Militare. * CRASH * 06,07;1988 A somewhat singular incident , took to the F-16A s/n 81-0713 [future MM7264 ] of the Florida ANG 159th FIS when, landing on its base on Jacksonville IAP , collided against two wild pigs crossing the track .. on impact the left undercarriage was truncated. The pilot ejected safely and the Falcon went off the runway to crash into a group of trees . The aircraft suffered serious damage; subsequent repairs behaved the replacement of approximately 900 parties. After the repair the Falcon, made its first flight May 14, 1989 with the same pilot of the accident. * 01,26;2004 The F-16A ADF - MM7237/37 18° Gruppo/37° Stormo, crashed into the sea near the island of Levanzo in the archipelago of the Egadi, about 15 km from Trapani- Birgi , following an engine failure . The pilot successfully ejected and was then recovered by a helicopter HH- 3F of the 82° CSAR of Trapani. The cause of the crash is attributable to a failure of the main generator that caused the fire of the battery, the EPU (Emergency Power Unit) was too low in power . * 05,22;2006 During a night mission during the Spring Flag / Volcanex 2006 exercise, two aircraft of 37° Stormo, the MM7246 and MM7263 , collided during the return phase in Decimomannu and crashed into the sea 18 km ( 10 miles) from Capo Ferrato - Sardinia. The pilots ejected and were later recovered by an AB- 212 of 670 Squadriglia. * 11,05:2007 Landing in Trapani , the MM7258 37° Stormo, impacted a group of birds. The pilot managed an emergency landing , but when braking, could no longer control the aircraft , after having touched the ground 50 meters from the runway head. During this manouver, the Viper , went off , forcing the pilot to eject , fortunately without injury . * 02,11;2008 The aircraft MM7247 of the 37° Stormo , crashed at 07.30PM , during a night training mission , ending up in the sea between the islands of Levanzo and Marettimo , in the archipelago of the Egadi Islands in Sicily , about 15 miles off the coast from Trapani -Birgi Airport. In the a violent storm raged , as he was about to land was struck by a lightning .and the pilot was forced to eject. Thanks to the signal of the beacon crash , was identified by an HH- 3F of the 82 ° CSAR and then recovered by a Coast Guard patrol boat . * 02,11;2010 The MM7238 of 23°Gruppo / 5 ° Stormo , crashed into the sea three miles from the coast between Rimini and Cervia . The pilot communicates emergency due to a dense smoke inside the cockpit . After a few minutes he was forced to eject , then ending up in the sea without injury and was recovered by a vessel cruising nearby. * 04,28;2011 An F- 16 of the 18°Gruppo/37°Stormo (perhaps the MM7262 ) during take-off from Trapani - Birgi , interrupted ( aborted ) the take-off, stopping at the bottom of the runway. The Viper , thanks to the immediate intervention of the Firefighters has been flooded by foaming . The runway was closed to traffic for about 90 minutes . Unconfirmed sources , reported that the aircraft has not suffered any serious damage. After remaining phased-out for about 2 months in a shelter , she received a new engine.
english translation by Roberto Zambon |
many
thanks to : A. Agnoli / VMAS ; J. Bosma ; S. Bottaro ; M. Carrara / VMAS
; G. Chambers ; F. Checuz ; G. Ciarini ; for their invaluable helpJ. Cupido / AIRFOTO ; R. Damstra ; R. Del Bianco / VMAS ; D. Dotto / VMAS ; P.R. Foster ; U. Gabbana ; S. Gava / VMAS ; D. Geerts - viper16.fotopic.net ; A. Inácio ; D. Mattiuzzo / VMAS ; M. Mauro / AM ; K.W. Minert ; R. Mueller ; J. Mulder / SCRAMBLE ; A. Pegolo ; P. Poletti / AM ; L. Polo / VMAS ; R.E. Rys ; L. Sani ; M. Saveriano / GMT ; G.H.J. Scharrings ; P. Terlow ; C. Toselli ; C. Tramontin / VMAS ; I. Turniano / VMAS ; H.J. van Broekhuizen ; K. Zimmermann |
