34 // FEBRUARY 2018 #359 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
Exercise
Report
(M5552) and Viareggio (M5559),
the submarine Longobardo
(S524), the replenishment oiler
Vesuvio (A5329) and the coastal
transport ship Lipari (A5352).
Colonnello Davide Scognamiglio,
head of the COI’s J7 Training and
Practice Division, said: “This is
the main Italian exercise event
of the year, structured to verify
and test the training level and the
ability of the Italian forces to work
together.” He added: “The keys
to understanding Joint Stars 2017
are: interoperability, inter-forces
work and skills integration. And this
exercise had something special: for
the first time, an Italian Air Force
base hosted the navy’s exercise
MPC [Main Planning Conference], as
well as those related to JFHQ [Joint
Forces Headquarters] and NATO.”
Speaking during the closing
ceremony for JS17, General
Claudio Graziano, Chief of the
Defence Staff, summed up:
“Today’s operational needs require
full inter-force capabilities that
must be acquired through training
activities that always involve all
components of the military, as
was the case with Joint Stars.”
Acknowledgements:
the authors would like to
thank the Italian MoD PA
Office team, the Italian Air
Force PA office staff, Maj
Michele Seri, Capt Andrea
Colotti, Commander Giuseppe
Lucafò and the Italian Navy PA
AFM office staff.Above: Two Typhoons from 36º Stormo head out from Trapani. F-2000A
MM7312 ‘36-34’ leads specially marked MM7308 ‘36-31’. These jets were
deployed to Sicily from their mainland home of Gioia del Colle. Below: A gun-
toting CH-47F from the 5° Reggimento Aviazione dell’Esercito ‘Rigel’ during the
aerial gunnery campaign. Italian MoD Below left: Hellenic Air Force F-4E AUP
serial 71759 from the recently enlarged 339 Mira was based at Decimomannu in
Sardinia and flew on both Blue and Red Air sides. Mirco BonatoAMX A-11B MM7176 ‘51-47’ carries a wingtip Diehl Flight Profile Recorder (FPR) and a Litening pod on the centreline station. The 51º Stormo jet is home-
based at Istrana.