#Decimomannu | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

usafphantom2 · 1 year

Text

The day the Eagle underestimated Sea Harrier

The Sea Harrier was a tiny, slow and slightly armed curiosity at the time it entered service in 1978. But when confronted with the powerful F-15 Eagle, the most respected combat plane in the world, he proved that it was not a toy...

Giordani By Giordani 08/14/2021 - 10:00 in History, Military

Interview with Commander Nigel David "Sharkey" Ward, who successfully led the Sea Harrier to war in 1982.

In the modern era, air-to-air weapon systems beyond the visual range (Beyond Visual Range - BVR) reduced the likelihood of engaging enemy fighters in an eye-to-eye duel. But it is only during air combat fully within visual range that a pilot's handling skills and tactical awareness are tested to the fullest. Detailed knowledge of the maneuverability of an opposing aircraft and, in fact, the ability of the opposing pilot is essential to ensure victory, especially against a theoretically superior combat aircraft.

When aircraft of the same type and one on one are in combat, the most experienced pilot - in theory - must always win. But when two aircraft are fighting two aircraft, hunting tactics really come into play. It is not easy to explain in detail the intricacies of air combat, but, as in all forms of war, it is necessary to "know the enemy".

At the end of 1979, the Sea Harrier was the new boy in the room and fighter pilots everywhere were eager to know how capable he would be in combat. This led the USAF F-5E Attackers Squadron in Alconbury to invite my Test Unit to visit them for a mutual learning and evaluation air combat program. The result spread quickly throughout the community of hunters. In the end the score was 26 to 10 in our favor.

The head of an F-15 fighter unit stationed in Bitburg, West Germany called me and asked to come visit us with two of his superb aircraft for further combat evaluations. The result was 7 to 1 for us.

Detractors may have called this 'flash in the pan' (straw fire, in free translation - NT). But they would be wrong. In December 1981, I took my new squadron, the 801, to the Air Combat Maneuver Facility in Decimomannu, Cagliari, on the Italian island of Sardinia, to fight once again against the aggressors and the Bitburg Eagles. It was a privilege to share the skies with them once again and take advantage of their knowledge. We had flown with our Sea Harriers through France, coming from the United Kingdom, to participate in tri-national combat combat training against the best of the US and Italian Air Forces. It was an excellent training opportunity - although the Italian pilots never appeared in the air to fight (but they wore flashy flight suits).

For Squadron 801, the unique attraction of the detachment was the state-of-the-art range in which combat should be conducted. Each aircraft carried a special telemetry pod that was monitored and recorded in real time by sensor stations surrounding the combat area, which was over the sea.

The pod transmitted accurate information about the relative position of each aircraft, direction, speed, attitude, angle of attack, 'g' and height. This information was collected by powerful computers on the ground and resulted in a complete three-dimensional recording of each combat, which could be displayed on a large screen in the debriefing room - with freezing and repetition options available instantly - just like a video game. The real-time visualization of each cabin was available on demand and was very realistic. The simulated missile launch and the firing of weapons was precisely measured to establish whether a kill had been achieved, i.e. within range, acquired missiles, weapon tracking on the target, etc. Spurious allegations of 'deaths' would be summarily discounted and disputed allegations of success in combat could be judged fairly and accurately.

Critically, and during each outing interrogation, a pilot could see his tactical handling errors of the aircraft in any part of the combat and could learn from them as they were pointed out by experienced instructors. I was lucky enough to be one of them - an Air Warfare Instructor (AWI) fully qualified and trained by the elite crew of Naval Air Squadron 764 at Lossiemouth Naval Air Station in Scotland.

After getting used to the facilities, the business started for real against the F-15 and F-5E. Our small jet capable of vertical takeoff Sea Harrier more than endured against these two fighters that could fly faster and make much tighter turns. For the uninitiated, this should mean a unilateral dispute that we would always lose. But it wasn't like that.

All the pilots in my squadron approached the air combat detachment with a high level of confidence. Our previous successes against the F-5E and F-15 were not forgotten by our opponents. They treated us with a lot of respect on the ground and, most importantly, in the air. This proved to be a considerable advantage. The real-time recording of each engagement ensured that what had happened on the air was properly and correctly recognized later in the debrief.

The sequence of images were captured from the cockpit of a BAC Lightning and illustrates well what the pilots experienced. (Credits: http://www.lightning.org.uk/julaug05sotm.html)

Our pilots did very well, winning some and losing some. The icing on the cake for me came when I was programmed to fly alone against two F-15 and two F-5E on a 1v2v2 combat mission. I had the great advantage of having Desmond Hughes on the ground radar, my observer from the time of the Phantom, providing me with a continuous comment on the positions of the other four aircraft. It was a totally exciting fight that included a terrible almost frontal collision with one of the F-15.

In a brief skirmish with two F-15s, Desmond guided me to intercept them from the left side. They were in relatively close attack formation and didn't see me until I was running in their beam at 1,100 km/h. They were less than a thousand meters away, crossing from right to left at about 800 km/h, when they saw me and decided to take an evasive action. Due to the need to save fuel, they could only use post-combustion and its supersonic capacity when involved in real combat maneuvers. But instead of bursting towards me and splitting up to give me two targets to face, which was what I expected, they decided to try to overtake me and deny a missile shot.

Two tried to run triggering full post-combustion, but it was too late. When I turned left right behind them, I simulated the launch of two Sidewinders in a very short range. “Fox Two! Fox Two! Splash two F-15’s”. Why they chose to run away instead of fighting, I don't know yet. It was probably the result of our previous meetings.

Seen through the HUD of the Sea Harrier that fired it, an AIM-9L Sidewinder missile heads to the target. The British claim to have destroyed 18 Argentine devices with the expenditure of 26 missiles. Although the AIM-9L is able to hit the target from the front, all the overturns were made from behind.

During that electrifying combat outing, I knocked down a total of seven opponents, between Eagles and Tigers, without any death against me.

Back on the ground and when we analyzed each fight on the screen in the debrief, my statements were totally justified. That was too much for one of the F-15 drivers who tried to say that everything was wrong. But the pilots of the Aggressor squad - blessed be his honesty - said that he had been defeated and that he should face it as a professional, as they did themselves.

My two young first-time pilots, Charlie Cantan and Steve Thomas, made remarkable progress during the detachment, finally understanding the tactical lessons we tried to teach them verbally, but without access to this digital technology.

In a fully developed hunting combat, a fraction of a second of delay in decision making is enough to make the difference between winning and losing your life. There are many nuances in this tactical thinking process. Anticipation, experience and knowledge of the abilities, intentions and future position of your opponent can only be acquired properly in the air.

This learning process usually takes a long time. As a result, during training at our base, I was able to 'overthrow' Charlie and/or Steve a minute after the start of the fight.

Our successes have shaken the world of fighters. We built a reputation that would have a great impact on the conduct of the air war in the Falklands just a few months later.

SOURCE: Hush-Kit

EDITOR'S NOTE: "You fight as you train"

Tags: Famous AircraftcuriositiesHawker-Siddeley Aviation/British Aerospace - Harrier/Sea HarrierHISTORYMcDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle

Giordani

Graduated in Business Administration, he is also an Aircraft Mechanic, but does not exercise the profession. Simply in love with aviation. You know in depth the history of military aviation and how much it has influenced world geopolitics. "If you do not know the Past, you will never be able to understand the Future"

Related news

HISTORY

FALKLANDS/MALVINAS: The history of the RAF Mount Pleasant Base

03/18/23 - 4:00 PM

HISTORY

F-20 Tigershark: an F-5 with steroids

12/03/2023 - 22:46

HISTORY

Operation Rolling Thunder, the largest (and most useless) aerial bombing operation in history

05/03/2023 - 23:41

HISTORY

The spies and arms smugglers who kept Iran's F-14 Tomcats flying

05/03/2023 - 11:35

HISTORY

What really happens to military pilots who desert to U.S. allied countries

26/02/2023 - 15:34

HISTORY

How an A-10 Warthog won a "kill" mark from a cow

02/19/23 - 12:00

12 notes · View notes

nonsisammai · 1 year

Text

L'Unione Sarda.it: La Nato porta in Sardegna il gigante Antonov, i Tiger e gli Stinger: «Potenze alleate pronte al fuoco»

2 notes · View notes

htitmnrad · 2 years

Photo

Saluti da Massimo Decimomannu Meridio. https://instagr.am/p/CeT_mSvte07/

#IFTTT #Instagram

12 notes · View notes

tradermeximas · 22 days

Text

Um grupo de países da aliança militar da NATO expandiu a iniciativa europeia de treino de voo da organização. Bélgica, Chéquia, Alemanha, Grécia, Hungria, Itália, Montenegro, Macedónia do Norte, Roménia, Espanha, Turquia e Reino Unido estabeleceram a primeira colocação de cerca de 50 estudantes pilotos em quatro locais a partir de 2024. Além disso, criaram nove novos campi de formação e formaram um órgão consultivo dedicado à indústria que ajudará a coordenar uma abordagem de formação holística. A iniciativa NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE) foi originalmente criada em junho de 2020, à margem da reunião do Ministro da Defesa da OTAN daquele ano. A Bélgica logo aderiu em fevereiro de 2021, seguida pela Alemanha e pelo Reino Unido em outubro de 2023. Os pilotos NFTE aprendem a pilotar uma variedade de veículos aéreos, incluindo jatos, helicópteros e sistemas aéreos pilotados remotamente. Em última análise, ministrar formação de pilotos é um empreendimento cada vez mais dispendioso e desafiante. Muitos aliados europeus enviaram os seus pilotos para formação nos EUA para satisfazer as suas necessidades de formação de pilotos, o que resultou numa pressão adicional sobre as capacidades dos EUA. A criação da NFTE diminui significativamente esta dependência das instalações de formação existentes nos EUA, ao tornar os aliados europeus capazes de formar as suas próprias tripulações de voo. Em dezembro de 2021, os participantes designaram oficialmente o Centro de Treinamento de Voo em Pardubice, República Tcheca, e a Escola Internacional de Treinamento de Voo (IFTS) em Decimomannu, Itália, como os dois primeiros campi de treinamento NFTE. Expansão de NFTE A invasão em grande escala da Ucrânia pela Rússia mostrou a importância da superioridade aérea na condução de uma campanha duradoura. Até levou os aliados ocidentais a enviar F-16 Fighting Falcons para serem usados pela Força Aérea Ucraniana – o seu primeiro grupo de pilotos completou recentemente o seu treino de voo inicial com a Força Aérea Real do Reino Unido na semana passada. Desde que começou, há vinte anos, a missão de policiamento aéreo da NATO no espaço aéreo do Báltico revelou-se altamente eficaz na projeção de uma dissuasão credível contra a Rússia, tendo enviado jatos cinco vezes entre 18 e 24 de março de 2024 para interceptar aeronaves russas sobre o Mar Báltico. Os novos campi e instituições da NFTE ajudarão a consolidar estes esforços à medida que o continente procura alcançar objetivos de longo prazo na década de 2030, à medida que a Comissão Europeia e a Agência Europeia de Defesa revelaram recentemente a sua primeira Estratégia Industrial de Defesa. O vice-secretário-geral da OTAN, Mircea Geoană, observou: “A unidade não acontece simplesmente, tem de ser conquistada. Uma maneira de conseguir isso é treinar sistematicamente em conjunto e estabelecer relações de confiança no processo. NFTE é um excelente exemplo disso. “Este importante esforço multinacional irá ajudar-nos a quebrar os silos nacionais no sentido de uma abordagem partilhada para a formação das próximas gerações de tripulações aéreas.” Problemas de treinadores dentro da OTAN Embora o grupo tenha feito esforços substanciais para expandir a sua capacidade de formação avançada de pilotos militares, alguns membros da OTAN enfrentaram problemas com os seus aviões de treino. A Real Força Aérea Canadense está atualmente em um período de hiato enquanto a Força decide sobre sua próxima aeronave de treinamento, já que as 18 unidades CT-155 Hawk existentes no país chegam ao fim de sua vida útil de 24 anos. Como resultado, o Canadá adiou seu treinamento de pilotos no exterior como parte de um programa de treinamento provisório que verá os canadenses voarem para os céus da Base Aérea de Sheppard, no Texas, bem como de outros programas de treinamento de liderança de caça na Finlândia e no IFTS da Itália, onde o Canadá terá dois instrutores e seis alunos até 2025. Da mesma forma, houve um longo período em

que a Força Aérea Real do Reino Unido ficou indecisa sobre seu avião de treinamento sucessor, agora que seu Hawk T2 também estava chegando ao fim da fase de vida útil. Em janeiro de 2024, havia a preocupação de que a RAF ficaria sem nada para treinamento no mundo real em uma aeronave física que possuísse capacidades de próxima geração adequadas para uma era completamente nova de guerra aérea além da tecnologia de simulador. No entanto, em março de 2024, o Reino Unido finalmente anunciou que entregará um processo de investigação de capacidade para a substituição do Hawk ainda este ano. Embora tenha sido confirmado que o Hawk continuará a ser usado até o fim de sua vida útil em 2040, ainda dá origem à preocupação de que o Hawk não refletirá um reflexo atualizado do caça de quinta ou sexta geração de aeronaves, como o F-35B ou o próximo caça a jato GCAP. Fonte: Tecnologia da Força Aérea

0 notes

delectablywaywardbeard-blog · 4 months

Text

Ciclone di vento, pioggia e gelo per l'Epifania nell'Isola

Vento, pioggia e freddo. Anche in Sardegna irrompe il ciclone di aria gelida che porterà il maltempo per il ponte dell’Epifania. Lo confermano gli esperti dell’ufficio meteo dell’Aeronautica militare di Decimomannu. “Sul mediterraneo occidentale è arrivata una massa d’aria artica di estrazione marittima che sta innescando un deciso cambio della situazione climatica – spiegano -. Oggi ci…

View On WordPress

0 notes

militaryleak · 6 months

Text

Royal Air Force Students Pilots Fly Solo at Italy's International Flight Training School

Two students have become the first RAF pilots to fly solo at the International Flight Training School (IFTS) in Italy. Having graduated from basic flying training on the Texan T1 aircraft under the United Kingdom Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) earlier this year, the two pilots have started their Lead In Fighter Training (LIFT) at the ITFS in Decimomannu, Sardinia. Launched in 2020, the NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE) High Visibility Project is a multinational initiative to link up and coordinate military flying training resources across member states.

View On WordPress

0 notes

christinamac1 · 10 months

Text

Europe heatwave: EU sends planes to Greece as thousands flee fires. Highof 48C expected on continent as red spreads across the European weathermap.

Times 18th July 2023 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/europe-heatwave-weather-charon-forecast-latest-news-ffq9k9drn A sleepy town of 8,000 located near the Sardinian capital of Cagliari,Decimomannu is currently one of Italy’s hottest locations, and expertshad predicted record temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday. Locals say manyhave locked themselves in shuttered homes or fled to…

View On WordPress

0 notes

ticonsiglio · 1 year

Photo

Comune di Decimomannu: concorso per 5 amministrativi diplomati

0 notes

sardies · 1 year

Text

Cento anni dell'Aeronautica, Solinas: «Vicini alla gente»

«Garanzia di pace». A Decimomannu avanzano i lavori dell’International Flight Training School (more…) “”

View On WordPress

#Aeronautica #regione

0 notes

sardegnaterraemare · 2 years

Photo

📌 Decimomannu addobbato a festa in onore dei festeggiamenti di Santa Greca Complimenti a @lucyorru88 per questo fantastico post 👏👏👏 ✔️ Visita il nostro sito internet sardegnaterraemare.it per conoscere la #sardegna con noi (presso Decimomannu) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjUkGpFjUZf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#sardegna

0 notes

usafphantom2 · 2 years

Text

First pilots graduate from the International Flight Training School in Italy

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 05/19/22 - 14:00 in Military

The International Flight Training School (IFTS) awarded the first Phase IV (Advanced / Lead-In to Fighter Training) diploma to two Luftwaffe pilots, the German Air Force, following the completion of the training school born from the partnership between the Italian Air Force and Leonardo, in collaboration with the CAE company.

The training activity took place for nine months at Galatina Airport (Lecce, Southern Italy), headquarters of the 61st Wing of the Italian Air Force, which currently hosts the IFTS. The school is destined to reach its definitive base with the inauguration of a new campus in Decimomannu, Sardinia.

The IFTS project is born from the desire to bring together two national excellences: the skills in the training of military pilots of the Italian Air Force, reinforced through more than 75 years of experience in the Galatina flight school, with the advanced technological solutions of Leonardo, a leading industrial body in the aerospace and defense field.

IFTS is a program with a very high strategic value, allowing, once fully operational, to double the current offer through the creation of a new training center, which - for the military side - will be under the single flag of the 61st Wing, distributed between the Galatina air base and Decimomannu, in Sardinia.

Thanks to highly experienced instructor pilots, military and civilian, and the advanced integrated training system based on Leonardo's M-346 aircraft (named T-346A by the Italian Air Force), the IFTS represents an international center of excellence, with the aim of training military pilots to operate state-of-the-art fighters, providing them with the technical and procedural skills necessary for deployment in modern and increasingly complex operational scenarios.

The new IFTS campus, currently under construction at Decimomannu Air Base (Cagliari), was designed around the training needs of future student pilots. An entire building will be dedicated to the Ground Based Training System (GBTS), composed of state-of-the-art simulation systems, which allow integrated training scenarios between simulated and real aircraft, thanks to Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) technology. In addition, maintenance logistics infrastructure will be created to manage the operation of the fleet of 22 M-346 aircraft in force at IFTS, as well as logistics-receptive infrastructure to welcome trainees during training (accommodation, canteen, sports facilities). "Leonardo CAE Advanced Jet Training", a company born from the partnership between Leonardo and CAE, will provide the maintenance and logistical support of the fleet of M-346 aircraft and simulators.

During the Phase IV (Advanced/Lead-In to Fighter Training) course, participants also have the opportunity to train in real shooting scenarios in dedicated training areas, enabling the ability to test the skills acquired in the field.

Today, in addition to Germany, other countries have also chosen IFTS for the advanced training of their drivers, confirming the interest paid to the Italian training system, a unique coach on the international scene.

Tags: AMI - Italian Military Aeronautics/Italian Air ForceMilitary AviationIFTS - International Flight Training SchoolLuftwaffe - German Air ForceM-

Tags: AMI - Italian Military Aeronautics/Italian Air ForceMilitary AviationIFTS - International Flight Training SchoolLuftwaffe - German Air ForceM-346 Master

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in a specialized aviation magazine in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation

HOME Main Page Editorials Information Events Collaborate SPECIALS Advertise About

Cavok Brasil - Digital Tchê Web Creation

2 notes · View notes