The Italian Air Force has announced that its mission in Japan has ended. The two Air Forces collaborated to share operational skills and experience during the mission.
The mission saw assets and crews of the ItalianAirForce train in Japan with the Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF). The return journey began on 9 August and the aircraft touched down in Clark (Philippines), Singapore, Malé (Maldives) and Doha (Qatar), and then ended at the bases of Pratica di Mare for the three KC-767As and the G -550 CAEW of the 14th Wing , Amendola and Ghedi for the four F-35As – three from 32nd and one from 6th Wings – , and Pisa for the two C-130Js of the 46th Air Brigade.
The redeployment activities, also supported by Villafranca 3rd Wing for combat service support and by the European Air Transport Command (EATC) for in-flight transport and air-to-air refueling aspects, began on 30 July and ended on 4 August with the arrival at Komatsu air base, in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Advanced logistical planning enabled the Italian Air Force to project operations over 10,000 km far from home, demonstrating great air expeditionary competence and Command and Control capabilities.
Welcomed in Japan by Col. Atsushi Miyake, Flight Group Commander of the JASDF, Italian Air Force Mission Commander Col. Luca Crovatti emphasized the symbolic value of that journey, which was first made in 1920 by Italian pilots Arturo Ferrarìn and Guido Masiero aboard SVA biplanes .
While this year the Italian Air Force brought to Japan the fifth-generation F-35 fighter aircraft – as the first European nation. Italy and Japan have a significant role in this programme, being the only ones to have a Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility outside the United States, as was also recalled at the press conference by Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Alberto Biavati , who was present in Japan to emphasize the relevance of the exercise, done in the wider frame of the cooperation between the two Armed Forces.
The Ambassador of Italy to Japan Gianluigi Benedetti also confirmed the importance of the event, identifying the collaboration in security and defense as one of the pillars of the relationship between Italy and Japan, also confirmed by the intensification of political dialogue and participation – together with the United Kingdom – in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP).
“I have come to greet and congratulate our pilots and aircrews,” said the Ambassador to the personnel deployed on the occasion of his visit to Komatsu, “because with their presence here, they can help further consolidate and strengthen this collaboration, and testify to Italy’s concrete commitment in standing with Japan – a strategic partner of the G7 – to the safeguard of shared values, principles, rules and interests for peace, stability and development in Europe,
The bilateral training activity, with the Italian assets alongside four F-15s of Komatsu’s 6th Wing , supported by a KC-767 of the 1st Tactical Airlift Group, saw pilots, flight operators and technicians of the two Armed Forces to share skills and training objectives – especially in terms of interoperability –, for the exchange of techniques, tactics and operational procedures.
To celebrate this meeting, the JASDF dedicated the livery of one of its F-15s to the Italian Air Force Centenary, held this year.
“This exercise,” emphasized Italian Air Force Lt. Gen. Alberto Biavati, “is part of the broader partnership between the Italian Air Force and Kōkū Jieitai on advanced training, which already sees the presence of Japanese student pilots at the International Flight Training School . This collaboration and sharing of know-how and best practices fosters a growth in technical and operational skills for the Air Forces of both countries.”
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