was some 600 miles from their tasking
area in Afghanistan. Missions of up to six
hours were recorded with multiple in-
flight refuelings, the air wing notching
up an impressive 800 flying hours.
During 2006’s Operation ‘Leonte’, Italy
demonstrated an air presence along
the coastline of Lebanon, and again the
Garibaldi and her Harriers were called in.
With a negligible air threat, the Harrierpilots mainly flew ISR (intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance)
missions, primarily identifying
merchant vessels.
The most recent combat commitment
for the squadron was Operation ‘Unified
Protector’ over Libya in 2011. Eight
aircraft joined the carrier to police the
NATO no-fly zone, mounting combat air
patrols (CAPs) over the Mediterranean.Despite being a stone’s throw from the
Italian mainland, the ‘Wolves’ flew from
the carrier in the Adriatic Sea during Operation
‘Allied Force’. Around 60 missions were flown
against ground targets, expending both
conventional and laser-guided bombs.
The Harrier force also swung into
action in the reconnaissance and air
interdiction roles, eventually chalking up
1,200 flight hours.
One of the squadron’s long-serving
pilots told Combat Aircraft, ‘The most
intense and memorable experience
while flying the Harrier was my
participation during ‘Unified Protector’.
The contribution our jets made to
the NATO operation was a chance to
demonstrate our high skills and elevated
combat professionalism during each
mission, flying for more than three
hours, relying on tankers, and in support
of the coalition forces. When the mission
was completed we had always to go
back to the carrier and concentrate on
the challenges of landing vertically.
It was breathtaking each time to find
our ship in the middle of the blue seas
where land was nowhere to be seen.’Current carrier ops
Today, the Garibaldi is the flagship
of the European Union Naval Force
Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR Med), which
has been tackling refugee smuggling
across the Mediterranean as part of
Operation ‘Sophia’, but typically without
the Harriers embarked. To help maintain
proficiency, NATO exercise ‘EmeraldAbove: A rare
airborne shot
from inside the
cockpit of a
Marina Militare
AV‑8B. While
pilots have one
eye on the future
F‑35B, the focus
remains very
much on the
Harriers for now.
Marina Militare
Above left: Out
of action — with
its APG‑65 radar
exposed, a Harrier
sits forlornly
in a hangar as
rectification is
carried out.
Dr Andreas ZeitlerFORCE REPORT // ITALIAN HARRIERS
80 April 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
76-83 Italian Harriers C.indd 80 15/02/2018 13:50