Decimomannu, 30 June 2023
The 30 June theMilitary airport M.O. Pil. John Farina opened to the public on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the renaming of Experimental and Standardization Department of Decimomannu Aerial Shooting. L’evento, which is part of the local activities organized during the year of the centenary of theAir force, has met with great success, allowing approx 2000 visitors to closely observe the many activities of the Department.
In fact, numerous stands were set up for the occasion, where the specialist staff was able to illustrate their professionalism and work tools to the public in detail.
From military and civil air traffic management to meteorology, from the Force Protection Group to the Fire Service, from the Emergency Department to the TLC Service to arrive at the Search and Rescue Service of the80° Centro Search and Rescue, dependent on the 15th Stormo, in addition to the opportunity, for the people present, directly observe daily flight activity. The pilots of the 212° Flight Group of the 61st Wing became available in the description of the T-346 aircraft used in theInternational Flight Training School (IFTS).
The event saw a static display of aircraft and vehicles, guided tours of the hangars and the possibility of visiting the exhibition hall of the Che Department, with his memorabilia, its scale models and its photographic material preserves the historical memory of the R.S.S.T.A.
An Info Point has also been made available to visitors for competitions and educational guidance.
“On the occasion of our 53rd anniversary we had after the event of 28 March another chance, in the year of the Centenary of the Italian Air Force, to open our doors to the citizens of the area and not only to show them what we do every day at the service of the country" said the Air Base Commander Colonel Federico Pellegrini, thanking the participants for the positive response obtained from the event and for the closeness to the Armed Forces.
In collaboration with theAir Force Association and theA.I.R.C. a fundraiser was held during the day as part of the charity initiative "A gift from Heaven" where it was possible to make donations to the Italian Foundation for Cancer Research. The initiative was included in the 2 days dedicated to solidarity and charity organized at the RSSTA, which saw the previous day dedicated to blood donation in collaboration with AVIS and a fundraiser within the Department delivered directly to the regional president of the A.I.R.C.
L’Open Day del R.S.S.T.A Decimomannu. it represented an opportunity to bring the community closer to the institution's values and mission, promoting awareness of the fundamental role of the Air Force in the defense of the country and in rescue operations in emergency situations.
The military airport of Decimomannu, headquarters of the Experimental and Standardization Department of Aerial Shooting (R.S.S.T.A) it depends hierarchically on the Salto di Quirra Experimental and Joint Training Polygon (Perdas defogu), by the Air Force Command for the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (CAMRAS), for the supervision and coordination functions with the other AM entities present on the island.
From Commander R.S.S.T.A, depend on the Alghero airport detachment, the Capo Frasca shooting range, the Serrenti Weapons Depot Section and the Teleposts (Weather) of Capo Bellavista, Capo Caccia and Capo Carbonara, located outside the Decimomannu airport grounds.
The R.S.S.T.A coordinates, manages and controls the flight activities of the Air Force Departments, of the other Armed Forces. and the allied countries, also guaranteeing the logistical/administrative support. It is the headquarters of the International Flight Training School (I.F.T.S.), excellence in advanced flight training, result of the partnership between Aeronautica Militare and Leonardo S.p.a. The Base is located in Sardinia at approx 20 km from the city of Cagliari and, thanks to the favorable climatic conditions, the availability of large free air spaces, as well as the presence of huge logistic infrastructures, it is considered an ideal place for aerial training.
The airport, one of a kind, it is able to host and coordinate numerous aerotactic aircraft at the same time, transport and helicopters, having runways and parking areas suitable also for larger aircraft such as the Antonov An-124 and the Galaxy C-5.
The technological equipment of the Department includes the modern AACMI system (Autonomous Air Combat Manoeuvering Instrumentation), a sophisticated electronic device that uses GPS technology, allows flight crews to train for complex missions in absolute safety and without the use of any type of armament, allowing real-time operations monitoring or mission rehearsal for crew debriefing.
The constant technical updates of the Decimomannu base have allowed the development and use of important cutting-edge technologies. From its establishment to today, prototypes of important aircraft such as the Tornado were tested at the RSSTA, l’Eurofighter, the T-346 and the F-35, projecting the base into the world of 5th generation systems.
The Radar Service present in Decimomannu ensures H24, 365 days a year, approach control of civil and military air traffic in central-southern Sardinia.
The Meteo Section ensures meteorological assistance to navigation; forecast information, observations on the ground and at altitude are also released to institutions on a daily basis (local communities, Civil Protection, Prefectures), television stations and newspapers,
80° Combat Search and Rescue, dependent on the 15th Stormo;
The 212th Flight Group / IFTS of the 61st Wing of Galatina, manages advanced training (4th phase, pre-operative) of pilots destined for the air forces of the AM or other Partner Countries with the aim of becoming a global point of reference in the provision of advanced training to the air forces. The program was born on the basis of the collaboration between the Air Force and Leonardo SpA by pooling the universally recognized experience of the AM in the flight training sector with the leadership of Leonardo SpA in the production of advanced training systems (Live, Virtual & Constructive), systems that cover the entire training path, from the basic to the advanced phase carried out and pre-operational with the T-346 A aircraft that equips the IFTS flight school.
Today, in addition to, the 4th Helicopter Section of the Coast Guard Captaincy of Port is also permanently present on the grounds with Agusta Westland AW139CP helicopters with the main task of search and rescue and contribution to environmental protection
SOURCES
Text and Photos: Air force
