Italy, with the 17th Raider Wing, is the first nation within NATO to have started the accreditation process with the US AFSOC of the Combat Controller Skill Level 1 course
In recent weeks, the attendees of the 9th Basic Course Raiders of the Italian Air Force (BIAM) have concluded the training process for the acquisition of the qualification of “1st Level Combat Controller”, a course lasting several weeks that gives the Raider personnel of the 17th Wing a peculiar and unique ability among the Special Forces of the Defense sector.
In fact, the qualification of Combat Controller allows the Italian Air Force Raiders to land fixed and rotary wing aircraft on improvised landing strips, in semi-permissive and/or hostile territories, through the reconnaissance of the areas of operations, the analysis of their characteristics and the control of air traffic. The 17th Raider Wing is the only Italian Special Forces unit to exclusively express the ability of Combat Controller.
The course, included for the first time within the training process for the acquisition of the Italian Air Force Raider License (BIAM), was held in distributed mode involving various Italian Departments and locations, including some civilian airfields. In particular, the 46^ Air Brigade of Pisa used a C-27J for landing on grass runways or in small airports without control services and for cargo airdrop activities; the 60th Wing of Guidonia participated with SIAI U-208A assets for the simulation of evacuation activities of personnel from grass and paved airfields; the 9th Wing of Grazzanise with the HH-101A helicopters ensured Special Forces transport and extraction missions and helicopter transport of vehicles in non-permissive scenarios; the personnel of the 3rd Wing of Villafranca ensured the preparation of the airborne loads and the execution of the Forward Arming and Refuelling Point (FARP); the Airspace Control Training Department (RACSA) of Pratica di Mare was responsible for training in air traffic control procedures; finally, the 72nd Wing of Frosinone has made the semi-prepared grass track available.
The further novelty of the 2024 edition was the accreditation process of the CCSL1 course by the Italian Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) of the United States Air Force (USAF). This process, part of a broad process of documentary, procedural and capacity checks carried out by the US evaluation team that began in July 2023, recognizes the Italian Air Force Raiders full interoperability with the US Armed Forces in the activities called “Global Access Operations” (GAO) which involve the landing of aircraft even on improvised strips of land, thanks to the use of Combat Controllers.
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