8 February 2023 Grosseto Air Base
Last 27 Exercise Emerald Strike began for the US Air Force in January 2023. On this occasion the F 16 del 555th “Triple Nickel” Fighter Squadron, employed in the 31st Fighter Wing of Aviano, moved to Grosseto airport, headquarters of the 4th Wing of the Italian Air Force. The exercise is intended to test the squadron's ability to quickly and effectively deploy to another facility while maintaining full operational capability.
Naturally this was an occasion for the Typhoon gods 2 Groups of the 4th Stormo to carry out some joint missions even if separated from the Emerald Strike.
The day 8 February a Spotter Day was organized by the Command of the 4th Stormo to allow enthusiasts to attend the day's activities.
The appointment is for 08:45 at the entrance to the "Corrado Baccarini" airport and we are punctual. After the registrations and delivery of the ritual passes, we are embarked on a bus that takes us alongside the taxiway to resume the first take-offs of the day. The engines of the F 16 they are already on when we arrive and it is not long before the silhouettes of USAF fighters appear in the distance.
The first Vipers that pass in front of us are overloaded. Naturally all the bombs are in the training version but it is really rare to see such heavily configured aircraft go into the air.
The planes quickly reach the warhead 03 of the track and, one at a time, take off, passing in front of it at very low altitude with the landing gear in retraction. In the meantime a Hercules of the 46th Air Brigade flies over us making an approach with a final go-around to resume the direction of Pisa.
It is therefore the turn of our Typhoons, which take off much lighter.
We note on the sides of the fuselage the sticker of the Centenary of the Air Force.
The second wave of F 16 it's a little lighter. These too pass in front of us but before them they take off from the warhead 21 2 Typhoon, excellent opportunity to photograph them from the other side. Falcon and Typhoon takeoffs follow one another and we lose count of how many planes are in the air.
However, the time comes for the landings and so we re-embark on the bus that takes us to a more favorable position to take them back. We witness the sequence of landings, interspersed with various go-arounds and touch'n gos.
After the sequence we are taken to fill the belly with an excellent lunch.
In the afternoon the program is more or less the same, with the variant that the sun has meanwhile gone to the other side of the slope and, Consequently, spotting points change.
The photo session ends with sunset landings, resumed in the header 03, with the sun shining sideways on the planes performing breathtaking passes and landings with the wheels touching the runway right in front of us. There couldn't have been a better spotting point for this photo session.
All in all a wonderful day, where the Air Force and the 4 ° Stormo in particular stood out for their truly exceptional attention to photographers.
I take this opportunity to thank the PAO of Grosseto, Ten. Emanuela De Marchi and all the Air Force personnel who made this event possible.
Enjoy all the photos now
