Italian Navy Aviation

Italian Navy Aviation
Aviazione Navale
Country Italy
Branch Italian Navy
Type Naval aviation
Size 2,000 personnel (2015)[1]
Part of Commander in Chief Naval Fleet
Commanders
Current
commander		 Rear Admiral Placido Torresi
EH-101-410 Merlin
Front view of two-seat grey jet fighter on aircraft carrier deck. A directive personnel is close-by.
A Marina Militare TAV-8B Harrier II aboard Giuseppe Garibaldi

The Italian Navy Aviation (Aviazione Navale) is the naval air component of the Italian Navy. Composed of around 2000 men and women and 69 aircraft and helicopters, the naval aviation represents a top niche and an enabler for the air-naval instrument.

History

It is more commonly known as Naval Aviation as it received various official designations throughout its service and its origins date back to 1913, when it was created has the air branch of the Navy.[2] The service was then disbanded and integrated into the Italian Air Force, upon the creation of this new branch in 1937, when a law gave control of all national fixed-wing air assets to the Italian Air Force.

Having been reactivated in 1956 to operate the Navy's new shipborne helicopters entering service with the Italian frigates.[3] The ban on fixed-wing aircraft was lifted in 1989, and the Italian Navy acquired Harrier II fighters to fly from the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi.

In 2009 Giuseppe Garibaldi was replaced as the flagship of the Italian navy by the new and larger aircraft carrier Cavour.

Structure and Organisation

The units of the Italian Naval Aviation are homebased at three combined military / civil airfields, at which the Naval Aviation Command of the Marina Militare Italiana has operational control over the military parts, plus a small naval aviation flight based at the Pratica di Mare Air Base of the Aeronautica Militare Italiana.

  • MARISTAER Grottaglie
  • MARISTAELI Catania
    • Stazione Elicotteri Marina Catania (Catania Helicopter Naval Station) - Catania - Fontanarossa Naval Air Station, shared with the Aeroporto internazionale "Vincenzo Bellini" di Catania - Fontanarossa, the civil international airport of Catania, Sicily
  • MARISTAELI Luni

Squadrons

  • Gruppo aerei imbarcati (Embarked Aircraft Group, based at Taranto-Grottaglie NAS and aircraft carrier Cavour) - AV/ TAV-8B+ Harrier II
  • 1º Gruppo elicotteri (1st Helicopters Group, based at Sarzana-Luni NAS) - EH101 Merlin
  • 2º Gruppo elicotteri (2nd Helicopters Group, based at Catania-Fontanarossa NAS) - AB 212 ASW
  • 3º Gruppo elicotteri (3rd Helicopters Group, based at Catania-Fontanarossa NAS) - EH101 Merlin
  • 4º Gruppo elicotteri (4th Helicopters Group, based at Taranto-Grottaglie NAS) - SH-90A, AB212ASW, Schiebel Campcopter S-100 (UAV)
  • 5º Gruppo elicotteri (5th Helicopters Group, based at Sarzana-Luni NAS) - MH/ SH-90A
  • Reparto Eliassalto (Heliborne Assault Unit, based at Taranto - Grottaglie NAS) - AB 212 ASW[4]
  • Sezione Aerea (Aerial Section, HQ liaison unit, based at Pratica di Mare Air Base) - Piaggio P.180 Avanti
  • Centro Sperimentale Aeromarittimo (Air Maritime Experimental Center, based at Sarzana-Luni NAS) - EH101 Merlin, SH-90A[5]
  • 88st Gruppo Antisubmarine Warfare (based at Sigonella NAS) with mixed crews Air Force and Navy.

Aircraft

Aircraft Origin Role Version Number Notes
Fixed-wing aircraft
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIUSAFighter aircraftF-35B1[6]Order of 15 F-35B.[6]
Boeing AV-8B Harrier II USA Strike aircraft AV-8B
TAV-8B		 14
2[6]		 Being replaced by F-35B
Piaggio P.180 Avanti Italy Utility aircraft P.180 3[6]
Helicopters
Agusta-Bell 212 Italy Maritime helicopter (ASW/ASuW)
Transport helicopter		 AB.212 ASW
AB.212 NLA		 16[6]
6[6]		 Being replaced by NH90
AgustaWestland EH101 Italy Maritime helicopter (ASW/ASuW)
Transport helicopter
Airborne early warning and control		 AW-101 MPH
AW-101 ASH
AW-101 HEW		 10[6]
8[6]
4[6]
NHIndustries NH90 Italy Maritime helicopter (ASW/ASuW)
Transport helicopter		 SH-90A
UH-90A		 24
10		 46 ordered in total
10 ordered in total
UAVs
Camcopter S-100 Austria UAV S-100 2 Delivered in 2014[7][8]
Boeing Insitu ScanEagle USA UAV 10 Delivered in 2013 [9]

References

  1. ↑ "The Present Aviation - Marina Militare". Marina.difesa.it. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  2. ↑ "The Naval Aviation - History - Marina Militare". Marina.difesa.it. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  3. ↑ "Post War Naval Aviation - Marina Militare". Marina.difesa.it. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  4. ↑ "Scramble". www.scramble.nl. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  5. ↑ "Scramble". www.scramble.nl. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 World Air Force 2014 - Flight International, Flightglobal.com, Accessed 23 November 2014
  7. ↑ "The Aviationist » The Italian Navy is testing a tiny Camcopter drone from its amphibious warfare ship". The Aviationist. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "Messaggio Forum". Regiamarinaitaliana.forumgratis.org. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "Insitu: contract with the Italian Navy for ScanEagle UAS aircraft delivery". Avionews.it. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
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