Military Air Force Centenary: commemorative stamps issued for the 100th anniversary

The eight commemorative stamps were presented to the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, in the presence of Minister Adolfo Urso and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General of the Air Squad Luca Goretti

Eight stamps dedicated to Centenary of the Air Force which occurs the 28 March 2023 were issued today, Thursday 23 March, as part of the initiatives to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Armed Forces.

The stamps, printed by the Institute Polygraphic and State Mint and put into circulation by Poste Italiane, were presented at the Salone degli Arazzi in Palazzo Piacentini, in Rome, headquarters of the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy (MIMIT).

It is a stamp depicting the logo of the Hundred Years of the Italian Air Force, six stamps depicting the most significant aircraft that have marked the evolutionary path of the aircraft throughout history and a further stamp, issued jointly by the Magistral Post of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) and the Vatican City Post (SCV).

The Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy was present at the event Adolfo Urso; the undersecretaries Fausta Bergamot e Massimo Bitonci; the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General of the Air Squad Luca Goretti; the Director of Telecommunications and IT Services of the Vatican City State, Antonino Intersimone; the Receiver of the Common Treasure of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Fabrizio Colonna of the Princes of Paliano; the representative of the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Matteo Taglienti and the philately manager of Poste Italiane, John Machetti.

"For us it is a source of great pride to celebrate our birthday among the people, for the people and with the people”, said the Chief of Staff in his speech. “We want to let the public and all flight enthusiasts know our history, the most prestigious goals of this first century of life, one hundred years of an Armed Force which represents, together with the other armed forces, a flagship of the Institutions of our Village. These beautiful celebratory stamps represent a further opportunity to thank the Institutions and the population who support us every day and all the women and men who work daily on the front line, looking to the future and to the space for a special Armed Force, which thrives on technology , of innovation and above all of passion”.

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"The Air Force - commented on Minister Urso - during its first hundred years of existence it has gone through important evolutions and in the most difficult moments it has always been perceived as a point of excellence for our Armed Forces, thanks to its central international role and its ability to provide logistical support to populations in a state of danger and difficulties, on the occasion of natural cataclysms and humanitarian events. The Frecce Tricolori and the Air Force – continued Urso – they are the symbol of Made in Italy in the world thanks to the universally recognized heritage of professionalism, ingenuity, design, technology, science and technical ability. The Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy - he concluded - has space and aerospace policies in its functions and in this sense we are working on a law that protects the national interests of the sector, because space is the real challenge for the next decades”.

The six stamps with the most iconic aircraft of the Armed Forces, edited by the sketcher Sergio Pietruccioli, in circulation from 80 thousand sheets, for a total of 480 thousand stamps, are available in single version or leaflet and reproduce the images of Aeritalia (Lockheed) F.104S “Starfighter”; of Aeritalia (Fiat) G.91R-1B; of the Sikorsky helicopter HH-3F “Combat SAR”; of the Siai Marchetti S.82 "Marsupial"; of Panavia"Tornado” IDS; of theEurofighter F-2000A "Typhoon" and Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II. The stamps are completed by the legend “Centenario Aeronautica Militare”, the respective names of the aircraft, the wording “Italia” and the tariff indication “B”.

Il single stamp, however, reproduces, on a white field, the logo of the Centenary of the Italian Air Force with which we intend to honor the men and women in blue uniform who, in these 100 years, have contributed to writing the glorious history of the Arma Azzurra. It is completed by the legends "Flying to the future","Air Force centenary", the written "Italy" and the tariff indication “B”. The circulation is of 250.020 copies with 45 stamps for each sheet. The sketch is edited by the Philatelic Production Center of the State Mint and Printing Institute.

Il joint stamp with the Vatican City and the Sovereign Military Order of Maltafinally, it is available in the leaflet and single version; the leaflet reproduces a vintage photo with 3 aircraft – one of which is featured on the stamp, the Siai Marchetti S.82 "Marsupial" of the Air Force, supplied to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta - which fly over Rome and the Vatican City and in which St. Peter's Square with the homonymous Basilica, the Dome and the Colonnade by Bernini. The Centenary logo of the Air Force is reproduced in the center of the leaflet. The legends complete it "Air Force Centenary" and "Vatican City joint issueor – Smom – Italy”. There circulation is 50 thousand exemplary while the sketch is edited by the Postal Service and Philately of the Vatican City and optimized by the Philatelic Production Center of the State Printing and Mint Institute.