Respectively in force at the 4 ° Stormo of Grosseto and the 36 ° Stormo of Gioia del Colle, the two new instructors had to face a long and articulated course that was structured on a theoretical phase and a flight practice; the latter organized and managed by the 20th OCU Group (Operational Conversion Unit) – Standardization and Operational Tactics Section – of the 4th Wing, with the support of the Weapon Instructors in force with other Departments that have the Eurofighter fighter in equival.
The WIC course allowed attendees to acquire specific skills in solving tactical problems, through the application of different planning methodologies in the leadership exercise, in the roles of Mission Commander (MC) and Team Leader (TL) and in organizational and communication skills, especially in Large Force Employment contexts (LFE) where there are different types of aircraft, with different capabilities that the Mission Commander must be able to manage, coordinate and make interoperable, to obtain maximum effectiveness and success of the activity.
The completion of this course allows trained pilots to be able to cover the roles of Tactical Mentor, or consultants of the Wing Commander and Group for the optimal management of the capabilities of the Weapon System in more or less complex tactical scenarios, ensuring, at the same time, the operational standardization for the Eurofighter Line.
The 40^ edition of the WIC course was characterized by the online introduction of the new P2E software and the possibility for attending pilots to participate in the launch campaign of Iris T missiles; This activity is managed by the Systems Section of the 20th OCU Group of the 4th Wing.
The theoretical phase of the course, managed by Air Warfare Center (AWC), included a series of lessons with all course participants from different Armed Forces Entities. At the end of this phase, a specific F2000A phase was followed at the Flight Experimental Department (Software Management Group), which allowed the instructors to perfect their knowledge on the avionics systems of the Weapon System and related Mission Data, i.e. all the data necessary for the correct functioning of the equipment, thanks to the teachings of highly qualified Armed Forces personnel in collaboration with that of the Leonardo company.
Flight training, on the other hand, was divided into three distinct phases. A first initial phase with Within Visual Range (WVR) combat, which also included “dissimilar” missions, i.e. with aircraft other than fighters, then with the T-346A of the 212th Flight Group of the 61st Wing.
The advanced phase, on the other hand, allowed the attending instructors to use the “Beyond Visual Range” for the resolution of tactical problems, peculiar to each mission that the aircraft can carry out, through the application of different planning methodologies. This phase was in turn divided into a first part characterized by simulator activities with the support of the ACS company and Leonardo operators, together with qualified JTAC personnel of the 17th Stormo Incursori for the execution of specific air-to-ground missions, and a second part characterized instead by the real flight activity carried out in the exercise “Typhoon” Flag 22″ at the 36° Stormo of Gioia del Colle (BA), where missions were also flown with the F35A aircraft of the 13° Gruppo of the 32° Stormo di Amendola (FG) to promote the integration between 4 ^ and 5 ^ generation assets. In this phase several departments were involved such as the 14th Wing of Pratica di Mare, with the CAEW and KC-767A assets, as well as the ground forces of the Italian Army belonging to the 3rd “Savoia Cavalleria” Regiment as well as to the Special Forces of the 185th RRAO.
The final phase of the course ended with a complex mission (COMAO/LFE) for an integrated and combined use with other structures. This phase was carried out during the exercise “Cobra Warrior 22-2” where the visitors were able to manage the aircraft participating in the COMAO, covering the roles of Team Leader and Mission Commander in different types of missions such as: Integrated Air Missile Defense, Air Interdiction, Dynamic Targeting, Strategic Attack, NEO, Personell Recovery, Escort with the assets of the Royal Air Force, German Air Force and USAFE.
The course then ended with the delivery of a thesis assigned during the theoretical phase. The 20th OCU Group (Operational Conversion Unit), as an articulation of the 4th Wing that depends on the Combat Forces Command (CFC) of Milan, has the task of training the pilots assigned to the F-2000 line ensuring standardization among the Eurofighter Operational Departments, contributing to the National Airspace Surveillance Service, ensuring advanced training through the Weapon Instructor Courses , validate and coordinate the implementation of new tactics, techniques and procedures as well as support the Flight Experimental Department during the operational verification campaigns of the F-2000 Weapon System.
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