| Army Aviation Aviazione dell'Esercito | |
|---|---|
 A UH-205A (MM80547) of the 5th Corps' 5th Army Aviation Group "Rigel" at Viterbo in 1987. | |
| Active | 10 May 1951-present |
| Country |  Italy |
| Branch | Italian Army |
| Type | specialty |
| Nickname(s) | AVES |
| Patron | Madonna of Loreto |
| Motto(s) | Volat agile, rapide observat "Fly nimbly, observe swiftly" |
| Colors | light blue (beret) |
| Anniversaries | 10 May |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Brigadier General Luigi Francavilla |
| Insignia | |
| Coat of arms |  |
The Army Aviation (Aviazione dell'Esercito, abbreviated in AVES) is a specialty of the Italian Army. Missions of the Army Aviation are the search and rescue, combat search and rescue, close air support, troop transportation, supply transportation and reconnaissance. Its members are recognizable by their light blue berets. It is the youngest specialty of the Italian Army.
History edit
Organization edit
Army Aviation units are split between the Army Aviation Command and the Airmobile Brigade "Friuli".
Army Aviation Command edit
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The Army Aviation Command (Comando Aviazione dell'Esercito) is a three-star command that consists of the Army Aviation Brigade, the Army Aviation Support Command and the Army Aviation Training Center. The command is headquartered at Viterbo, Lazio.
The Army Aviation Brigade (Brigata Aviazione dell'Esercito) has administrative control of three rotary-wing aircraft regiments and a VIP-transportation fixed-wing aircraft squadrons group. Its subordinate flying units are:[1]
- 1st Army Aviation Regiment "Antares" - Viterbo, Lazio
- 11th Army Aviation Squadrons Group "Ercole" (CH-47C Chinook)
- 26th Special Operations Helicopter Unit (CH-47C Chinook, UH-90A and HH-412 Grifone)
- 2nd Army Aviation Regiment "Sirio" - Lamezia Terme, Calabria
- 30th Army Aviation Squadrons Group "Pegaso" (UH-212)
- 4th Army Aviation Regiment "Altair" - Bolzano, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
- 54th Army Aviation Squadrons Group "Cefeo" (UH-205A)
- 28th Army Aviation Squadrons Group "Tucano" (UC-228 and VC-180A Avanti)
The 26th Special Operations Helicopter Unit will be expanded to regimental status by the end of 2014, renamed 3rd Special Operations Helicopter Regiment "Aldebaran" and placed under the newly-established Army Special Forces Command.[2]
The Army Aviation Training Center (Centro Addestrativo Aviazione dell'Esercito) is tasked with the training of the pilots and their support personnel and the development of new flight techniques. The center is made up by the 1st Training Squadrons Group "Auriga" of Viterbo and the 21st Army Aviation Squadrons Group "Orsa Maggiore" of Elmas, Sardinia (UH-205A).
The 21st "Orsa Maggiore" will be transferred to the 2nd Army Aviation Regiment "Sirio" during the course of 2014.
The Army Aviation Support Command (Comando di Sostegno dell'Aviazione dell'Esercito) is tasked with the maintenance of the aircraft. It is made up by four army aviation support regiments: the 1st "Idra" of Bracciano, Lazio, the 2nd "Orione" of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, the 3rd "Aquila" of Orio al Serio, Lombardy and the 4th "Scorpione" of Viterbo.
Airmobile Brigade "Friuli" edit
The Airmobile Brigade "Friuli" (Brigata Aeromobile "Friuli") consists of two rotary-wing aircraft regiments:[3]
- 5th Army Aviation Regiment "Rigel" - Casarsa della Delizia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
- 27th Army Aviation Squadrons Group "Mercurio" (AH-129C Mangusta)
- 49th Army Aviation Squadrons Group "Capricorno" (AH-129C Mangusta)
- 7th Army Aviation Regiment "Vega" - Miramare, Emilia-Romagna
- 25th Army Aviation Squadrons Group "Cigno" (UH-205A and UH-90A)
- 48th Army Aviation Squadrons Group "Pavone" (AH-129C Mangusta)
- 53rd Army Aviation Squadrons Group "Cassiopea" (HH-412 Grifone)
Equipment edit
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Active [4][5] |
Italian designation Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotary-wing | ||||||
| AgustaWestland AH-129C Mangusta | Italy
|
Attack | 59 | Exploration and Escort Helicopter
| ||
| AgustaWestland MRH-109A | Italy
|
Observation | 17 | Combat Support Helicopter-2
| ||
| Agusta Bell UH-205A | Italy  United States
|
Utility | 59 | Combat Support Helicopter-3
| ||
| Agusta Bell UH-212 |
Italy United States
|
Utility | 18 | Combat Support Helicopter-4
| ||
| Agusta Bell HH-412 Grifone | Italy United States
|
Utility | 22 | Combat Support Helicopter-5
| ||
| Agusta Bell RH-206 | Italy United States
|
Training | 27 | Combat Support Helicopter-1
| ||
| Boeing CH-47C Chinook | United States
|
Transport | 14 | Medium Transport Helicopter
| ||
| NHIndustries UH-90A |  France  Germany Italy  Netherlands
|
Transport | 20 | Tactical Transport Helicopter
| ||
| Fixed-wing | ||||||
| Dornier UC-228 | Germany
|
Utility | 3 | Light Transport and Liaison Aircraft | ||
| Piaggio VC-180A Avanti | Italy
|
Transport | 3 | Regional Transport and Liaison Aircraft | ||
Commanders edit
| Rank | Name | From[6] | To | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Lieutenant General |
Silvio Torre | October 1, 1997 | October 15, 2001 | |
.svg){kind=small} Major General |
Luigi Chiavarelli | October 16, 2001 | February 8, 2005 | |
| Lieutenant General |
Enzo Stefanini | February 9, 2005 | February 28, 2013 | |
| Major General |
Giangiacomo Calligaris | January 1, 2013 | January 23, 2014 | Died during an aviation accident |
.svg){kind=small} Brigadier General |
Luigi Francavilla | January 24, 2014 | - |
Notes edit
- ^ "Brigata Aviazione dell'Esercito". Esercito Italiano. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ Scarpitta, Alberto (20 September 2014). "Costituito a Pisa il Comando Forze Speciali Esercito". Analisi Difesa. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ "Brigata Aeromobile "Friuli"". Esercito Italiano. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ "World Air Forces 2014" (PDF). Flightglobal. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ "Esercito italiano in panne. Metà delle armi è fuori uso". Analisi Difesa. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ "COMAVES - I Comandanti". Esercito Italiano. Retrieved 29 September 2014.