36° Stormo F-2000
60 // AUGUST 2018 #365 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comswing-role upgrades and now operate at ITA
Mod 04 standard. This enables them to fly
reconnaissance missions with the RecceLite
pod, and attack missions with 1,000lb (454kg)
GBU-16 laser-guided bombs. However, they
aren’t able to operate with a laser designator
pod and target illumination has to be provided
by another platform (in the air or on the ground).
The Tranche 1 fleet is undergoing an
upgrade to ITA Mod 05, which will render it
comparable to the Tranche 2’s P1Eb standard.
Most of the aircraft assigned to the 36°
Stormo are Tranche 2 machines, most of them
P1Eb standard, but some still at P1Ea. The
PSC.12 software of the P1Eb jets allows them
to carry either GBU-16s or 1,000lb GBU-48s,
also known as Enhanced GBU-16 (EGBU-16).
Tranche 3 aircraft retain the P1Ea configuration
with some capabilities of the P1Eb version.
“The P1Eb Further Work (P1Eb FW) version
is being introduced”, Lt Col Vittorio D R
explained. “This adds some new features
to the man-machine interface and an air-to-
ground targeting capacity, both indispensable
for the subsequent introduction of the
P2Ea package [PSC.20 software].”P2Ea will offer initial integration of the
Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air
missile (BVRAAM) and the Storm Shadow
cruise missile, both produced by MBDA. All
Tranche 2 and 3 aircraft will be progressively
upgraded to P2Ea configuration.
The technical activity necessary for swing-
role training started at Gioia del Colle, Grosseto
and Trapani air bases towards the end of 2014,
and involved armourers and avionics engineers
qualifying at Cameri’s 1° RMV. Personnel
from the 36° Stormo had an advantage, as
they were familiar with the Tornado’s air-to-
ground armament. The F-2000s are configured
for air-to-ground missions according to the
requirements of the flying squadrons, but for now
the standard configuration remains air-to-air.
The increasing attention paid to the new
swing-role capability is also evident in the
introduction of an operational turnaround
manual for air-to-ground profiles, similar to that
previously produced for the air-to-air mission.
The manual establishes and defines procedures
for rapid rearming and preparation of aircraft
after flight and is tailored for theatre or real-
world operations, such as NATO air policing.Maintenance specialists
The GEA at Gioia del Colle is the only unit of
the AM – other than the 1° RMV – that can
perform second-level programmed maintenance
inspections on the Typhoon fleet. As well as
skilled personnel, the 936° GEA facility includes
the same workstations found at the Cameri
production facility. The second-level inspection
steps for the F-2000 have now been established
at 500 and 1,000 flying hours (although some
items remain set at 400 or 800 hours).
This year, the AM is undertaking its first third-
level inspections (also known as F inspections),
required when an airframe reaches 2,000
flying hours, and performed by the 1° RMV. In
future, the maintenance unit at Cameri will be
tasked only with third-level inspections, while
the GEAs at Gioia del Colle and Istrana will
be dedicated to second-level maintenance.
The AM plans to activate a Typhoon squadron
with the 51° Stormo at Istrana, but this will
depend on the availability of sufficient trained
personnel, technical support equipment for the
jets and – of course – the requisite aircraft.
Lt Col Fabio D L, commander of the 12°
Gruppo, provided an insight into the trainingAbove: F-2000A MM7314 ‘36-37’ takes off from Gioia del Colle with IRIS-T air-to-air missiles on the outer
underwing stations. Air defence is still the main mission assigned to the Typhoon fl eet.
Right: The X° Gruppo fl agship displays a swing-role confi guration in front of the Gioia del Colle soft
shelter compound. Blue-painted bomb bodies indicate inert weapons carried for training.Above: The Litening pod currently in use on the
Tranche 2 and 3 jets has a limited air-to-air potential,
although this wasn’t requested as part of the swing-
role capability. Pod carriage has only a marginal
effect on aircraft performance. Right: Each Italian
Typhoon wing includes a handful of two-seaters,
used for missions including refresher fl ights and
renewing instrument fl ight rules (IFR) charts. TF-
2000A MM55094 ‘36-60’ of 36° Stormo is seen inside
its soft shelter after completing a training fl ight.
Left: Armament technicians load a live GBU-16 bomb
on a Typhoon inside a hardened aircraft shelter.