Italy and France united in Air Defense: the interoperability of Command and Control systems between the two countries has been successfully tested.
On March 4, along the border between Italian and French airspace, the bilateral exercise APEX INDIA 26-01 took place. The joint training activity was aimed at testing common Air Defense procedures and the coordinated response capability to non-military air threats.
The exercise, planned by the Air Force as part of bilateral agreements with France, simulated a “Renegade” type scenario (civilian aircraft used as a potential threat). Specifically, a P-180 aircraft of the 14th Wing, which took off from Pratica di Mare with the function of Target, simulated the loss of radio communications (COMLOSS) and a hostile route to France. The National Air and Space Operations Centre (NASOC) therefore immediately ordered the Scramble of a pair of Eurofighter F-2000s of the 4th Wing of Grosseto in Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) configuration. The Italian fighters operated under the guidance of the D.A.M.I. Groups of Poggio Renatico (11th Group – PIOPPO) and Licola (22nd Group – BARCA), ensuring full integration into the Command and Control (C2) chain of national and NATO Air Defense.
The crucial moment concerned the handover (handover) between the Aerospace Operations Command (AOC) of Poggio Renatico and the CAPCODA (Centre Air de Planification et de Conduite des Opérations Aériennes) of Lyon Mont Verdun.
Operational continuity was ensured by the intervention of a French Rafale C, which took charge of the target by applying the Transfer of Authority (TOA) procedures. The activity made it possible to verify the effectiveness of the visual identification procedures (VIS) and the interoperability of radar systems between the two nations. All activities were carried out in full compliance with the safety rules of civil air traffic, with communications managed on dedicated military networks and under the supervision of the respective national operational authorities.
The 11th Poggio Renatico Group and the 22nd Licola Group, dependent on the Aerospace Control Brigade of the COA, through the DAMI (Integrated Missile Air Defense) Department, ensure sighting and identification in national airspace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With exercises such as APEX INDIA, the Air Force reaffirms its commitment to ensuring the security of the national skies and the Atlantic Alliance, consolidating international cooperation in the field of Air Policing.
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