For the first time, on 20 July 2021, a crew made up entirely of pilots and on-board operators of the 9 ° Stormo “F. Baracca” of Grazzanise (CE) carried out, in complete autonomy, a training mission to refuel in flight (Helicopter Air to Air Refueling – HAAR) with the HH-101A helicopter.
This complex training activity, conducted with the collaboration of a KC-130 tanker aircraft of the 46th Brigata Aerea of Pisa and the personnel of the Reparto Sperimentale di Volo of Pratica di Mare (RM), is part of the process of acquiring the “Full Operational Capability” of 9 ° Stormo on HH-101A helicopter and allows to extend the range of action of the structure making it more projectable and effective in operational contexts.
During the activity the helicopter of the “Cavallino Rampante” department made about ten hooks to the tanker, both in “dry” mode, ie without fuel transfer and “wet” with fuel reception. The activity also included the completion of training flight maneuvers with the KC-130 necessary to carry out the complex procedures in a standardized way and in complete safety.
The ability to refuel in flight with rotary wing assets, due to its complexity and the need to have specific means, is unique in a national context and a prerogative of a few nations globally.