Senior Course 138 visits Pratica di Mare Air base

Senior Course 138, together with NDC Staff, Faculty and leadership headed by the Commandant, LGEN Olivier Rittimann, were welcomed by MGEN Mauro Lunardi, Commander of the Air Base at Pratica di Mare for the visit to the Space and Aeronautics Experimental Air Division (Divisione Aerea di Sperimentazione Aeronautica e Spaziale – DASAS) of the Italian Air Force, the 14th Wing and the Joint Satellite Remote Sensing Centre.

COL Bruni, Flight Test Wing (Reparto Sperimentale di Volo – RSV) Commander, briefed the audience on the history of the Wing and its growing importance since its foundation in 1928 and presence in Pratica di Mare Air Base since 1957. The range of its activities is currently very broad, ranging from research, development and the testing of prototypes, to systems engineering, software development, operational testing and evaluation, with the aim of generating new operational capabilities.

The NDC delegation visited the laboratories of the Flight Test Wing, with insights into some of the applications and working methodologies, such as the V-model applicable to software design and implementation. They were also able to see a number of ITAF airplanes on show, including the Eurofighter EF-2000, the T-346, the T-339, and the C27J.

A presentation on the 14th Wing’s activities, ranging from bio-containment to Airborne Early Warning (AEW), and from battlefield management to air evacuation, was delivered by COL Federico Merola; MAJ Cipriano provided a further presentation on the Conformal AEW (CAEW) air asset contribution to 5th generation warfare and Command and Control (C2).

The visit to Pratica di Mare Air Base ended with a presentation from COL Gianluigi Attingenti, Director of the Joint Satellite Remote Sensing Centre (CITS) and MAJ Bramante, on satellite remote sensing capabilities and data exploitation applications.

Organized as part of the Field Study II programme, the visit was a unique opportunity for Course Members to better appreciate some tactical high-tech applications used in the aeronautics and airspace fields, as well as the related managerial and routine procedures of the Italian Air Force.

NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Ms Ilaria Latorre, ITA C)