The strategic collaboration between the Italian Army Aviation, the Qatari Emiri Air Force (QEAF) and the Leonardo Company has made it possible to achieve 2000 flight hours in the training of Qatari crews on board the NH-90 helicopter.
The training of Qatari personnel is one of the leading training activities of the Army Aviation and highlights the well-established role of international flight school for the military helicopter component. Precisely on these aspects the Commander of the AVES, General of Division Andrea Di Stasio, intervened, who, during a ceremony of awarding diplomas to the staff attending the courses, wanted to highlight that “the experiences of Qatar today, together with others in the past in favor of various allied and friendly countries, to which will be added, in perspective, the next commitment with Austria for the LUH (Light Utliity Helicopter), demonstrate the international value of the Italian Army Aviation in military flight training, as a keystone to build international partnerships and collaborations in the military field”.
The event was also attended by Engineer Fabrizio Peano, Head of Training Academy of Leonardo’s Helicopter Division who, during his speech, said: “We are pleased to contribute to the success of this important helicopter program for Qatar not only through the supply of helicopters but also of the related training services and through strong synergies with the Italian Army. In this way, from Italy, we are able to transfer, together with the Armed Forces of the country, a unique operational experience to the end user”.
Colonel QAEF Hamad Al Hajri, Senior Qatar Officer Representative in Italy, thanked AVES and Leonardo for their valuable support, expressing satisfaction with the level of training achieved by their flight crews.
The overall commitment, in the three years since the launch of the “Qatar program”, has allowed the achievement of 2,000 hours of flight on NH-90 helicopter in the terrestrial version, to which are added an additional 2,500 hours on the flight simulator. The Army Aviation has been able to transfer the knowledge acquired in the many experiences in the operational theater, thus making available to foreign colleagues a “training gym” on the military use of the aircraft inspired by the utmost realism.
At the end of the event, the Commander of AVES and representatives of the Qatar Air Force and Leonardo expressed concrete and shared appreciation of the synergistic effort, as a premise for further opportunities and partnerships in the specific sector. Eyelet The NH-90 helicopter has been in service in the Army Air Force since 2007. During these years, the Departments of the Specialty that employ it have gained considerable operational experience at national and international level, in the many types of mission that the machine allows to perform.