Page 84 - AirForces - Monthly (February 2020)

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The Italian Air Force’s 31° Stormo fulfils a niche transport role,
undertaking operations for national agencies and the Vatican,
and, as Riccardo Niccoli discovers, it has also increasingly been
tasked with the role of emergency aeromedical missions.

C urrently based at Rome-Ciampino Gruppo operated from Ciampino with a mixed
fleet comprising four Convair 440s, four DC-6s,
International Airport (named for
pioneering military aviator G B two DC-9s and a few Piaggio PD.808TPs.
Pastine), the 31° Stormo (31st Wing) was Emergency aeromedical transport currently
established on March 1, 1965, at Pratica di forms an important part of the unit’s workload,
Mare air base, near Rome, as the 31° Stormo and accounts for a significant percentage of
Elicotteri (31st Helicopter Wing). In 1975 the the flying hours accrued throughout the year.
unit received the first of two Agusta-Sikorsky Currently the 31° Stormo’s operations focus
SH-3D/TS (Trasporto Speciale – Special on the work of its two squadrons; the 93°
Transport) helicopters, destined to transport Gruppo, which operates four Leonardo
the Pope within Italian national territory, AW139 helicopters (two VH-139As and
thanks to bilateral agreements between Italy two UH-139A/Bs) plus three Dassault
and the Vatican. In 1976, however, as part of Falcon 900EX (VC-900A) and 900Easy
a programme to reorganise the Aeronautica (VC-900B) jets, and the 306° Gruppo, which
Militare (AM, Italian Air Force), and with is assigned two Airbus A319CJs (VC-319As)
the disbandment of the Reparto Volo Stato and two Dassault Falcon 50s (VC-50As).
Above: Serial MM62209 (c/n Maggiore (Air Staff Flying Unit), the 31° Stormo
1795), one of the three Airbus was relocated to Ciampino, with a resulting Aeromedical missions
319CJ (VC-319A) VIP jets, in
flight over the Apennines. expansion of its VIP mission to include the Often (unjustifiably) considered by observers as
Thanks to auxiliary fuel tanks transport of high-ranking Italian military and a second-line unit, the 31° Stormo is not short
in the hold, this aircraft has civil officials. Of the wing’s two main units, the of operational demands, most notably rapid-
an endurance of 12 hours.
Italian Air Force/Troupe Azzurra 93° Gruppo (operating helicopters) remained reaction flights for aeromedical duties, for which
Inset: James Lawrence at Pratica di Mare until 1978, and the 306° the unit’s crews and technicians are on alert

82 // February 2020 #383 www.Key.Aero

82-86 31Stormo AFM Feb2020.indd 82 06/01/2020 10:49:07
82-86 31Stormo AFM Feb2020.indd 82
06/01/2020 10:49:07