An F-2000 Eurofighter fighter from the Italian Air Force, deployed at the Istrana (TV) base, headquarters of the 51 ° Stormo, with duties to monitor airspace, intervened this morning to intercept a Lauda Air civilian aircraft, that during the overflight of the national air space it had lost radio contact with the air traffic control agencies (ATC).
The F-2000 fighter was already in flight for a training activity when, shortly after the 10: 00, it received the order to intercept the civil aircraft that had interrupted communications.
As required by the procedures of the air defense system, the order was issued by the CAOC (Combined Air Operation Center) of Torrejon in Spain, NATO center responsible for the surveillance of the area, in coordination with the Air Operations Command (COA) of Poggio Renatico and the Armed Forces bodies appointed to oversee national and NATO airspace.
The interception, led by the staff of the 11 ° DAMI Group who provided the pilot with the necessary information, took place after a few minutes in the skies above Lake Garda, where the F-2000 Eurofighter fighter, belonging to the 36 ° Stormo di Gioia del Colle and temporarily deployed at the Istrana base, identified the civilian aircraft by VId (Visual Identification). Once he ascertained that an emergency was not in progress, he escorted him to the border of the national air space, and then returned to the base.
The Air Force ensures, without interruption, even in peacetime, the surveillance of the national airspace through a complex system integrated with that of the other countries belonging to NATO.
The alert chain for this type of event and for airspace violations provides in fact that the order of immediate intervention of the fighters ("scramble") is given by the CAOC (Combined Air Operation Center) of Torrejon (Spain), the NATO body responsible for the airspace surveillance service in the area that integrates the surveillance and control capabilities of the 11 ° DAMI group and 22 ° Radar group.
There are three flocks equipped with Eurofighter assets, which the Air Force uses for the Air Defense service: the 4 ° Stormo of Grosseto, the 36 ° Stormo of Gioia del Colle and the 37 ° Stormo of Trapani, which feed in turn , as needed, also a temporary cell at the base of the 51 ° Stormo di Istrana. Furthermore, since March 2018, the F35 aircraft of Amendola's 32 ° Stormo have been integrated into the Air Defense system, contributing, with specific operational capabilities and latest generation technology, to the defense of Italian skies.
The NATO air defense chain also includes the 11 ° DAMI Group (Integrated Missile Air Defense) of Poggio Renatico (FE) and the 22 ° Radar Group of Licola (NA), whose controllers are responsible for spotting and identifying all the air traffic that operates in the national air space and control the Air Defense assets to intercept potential air threats.
The national Air Operation Center carries out fundamental tasks in the organization of the air defense service and constantly supervises the correct functioning of the device. If there is a non-military threat to the Italian airspace, the IT-AOC resumes the command of the intercepting aircraft entrusted to NATO, for the subsequent enforcement action. This occurs when a civil aircraft transiting through the national airspace shows an anomalous conduct and, therefore, potentially dangerous for safety, or if it requires air support for technical problems that compromise the safety of the flight, as in today's case, due to the loss of radio communications.