A Lampedusa new radar of the Italian Air Force for surveillance of national airspace

The 2 May was inaugurated the new Air Defense radar installed at 134a Remote Radar Squadron of Lampedusa. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the Undersecretary of State for Defense, Hon. Angelo Tofalo, accompanied by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General of the Air Team Alberto Rosso.

The event was also attended by several military authorities and representatives of the Leonardo and Vitrociset companies, the largest national companies involved in the work that involved the Lampedusa site.

The inauguration of FADR system (Fixed Air Defense Radar, model RAT – 31DL) is also the conclusion of a broader ten-year program which, together with the synergy of the national industrial world, has led to the technological renewal of 12 fixed radars covering the entire national airspace, improving the efficiency of the National Air Defense system.

FADRs

This is a long range surveillance radar (over 470 kilometers) with anti-ballistic ability. It features advanced “solid state” technology which makes it highly reliable. The system complies with the strictest market standards, including full interoperability at NATO level. Sold all over the world in over 50 units, the radar was in fact chosen by numerous member countries of the Atlantic Alliance, which made Leonardo a reference partner in the air defense sector.

Thus the Hon. Tofalo, in his speech: <a precious asset serving the country and all citizens, perfectly integrated with the other Armed Forces. Thanks to this new high-tech system, the result of Italian excellence, our Azzurra Weapon will be able to share important information for global security even more effectively>>.

Thus the head of the Air Force General Rosso commented on the important milestone for the national Air Defense: <the new airspace surveillance structure, based on land-based radar sensors, represents a fundamental element of the National Air Defense system and of NATO, of which interceptor fighters, other air assets with radar sensors on board and the centers are an integral part of command and control". The goal achieved "can be considered an all-Italian success, since it is the result of a full collaboration between the Defense, the national industry and the local communities, carried out with the utmost attention to respect for the territory and the landscape, with the utmost attention to the environment>.

The ceremony was sealed by a symbolic ribbon-cutting and by the overflight of a Eurofighter fighter interceptor pair of Trapani Birgi's 37 ° Stormo; to follow, all the Authorities present and the guests gathered at the event were accompanied within the installation that hosts the RAT – 31DL and had the opportunity to visit the entire radar site of Lampedusa, contextually redeveloped in the area some jobs.

Firsta Remote Radar Squadron, included in the integrated National Air Defense network, even in peacetime, with that of the other NATO member countries, has the task of maintaining the assigned system in efficiency, without interruption, and of ensuring the surveillance of the relevant airspace. The Lampedusa Aeronautical Detachment provides logistical support to the 134aSquadriglia Remote Radar and other military bodies located on the island of Lampedusa, providing assistance to the military aircraft of the Italian Air Force in transit on the civilian airport.

The radar inaugurated today is part of the network of sensors distributed throughout the national territory with the task of collecting the information necessary to intercept potential air threats. The data collected by the radars are thus distributed and processed by the 11 ° DAMI Group (Integrated Missile Air Defense) of Poggio Renatico (FE) and the 22 ° Radar Group of Licola (NA), which then have the task of guiding the structures of the Air Defense. Specifically, the Italian Air Force uses the Eurofighter aircraft of the 4 ° Stormo of Grosseto, of the 36 ° Stormo of Gioia del Colle and of the 37 ° Stormo of Trapani, which in turn feed, according to need, also a temporary cell at the base of the 51 ° Stormo of 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.

National Air Defense

The alert chain for airspace violations provides that the order of immediate intervention of the fighters will be given by the CAOC (Combined Air Operation Center) of Torrejon (Spain), the NATO body responsible for the airspace surveillance service in the area, whose national interlocutor is the Air Operation Center (AOC) of Poggio Renatico (FE).

The AOC carries out fundamental tasks in the organization of the air defense service and carries out a constant supervision activity on the correct functioning of the device. Should a non-military threat to Italian airspace arise, the IT-AOC resumes command of interceptor aircraft entrusted to NATO, for the subsequent law enforcement action. This happens when a civil aircraft in transit in the national air space shows an anomalous conduct and, therefore, potentially dangerous for safety, or if it needs air support for technical problems that compromise the safety of the flight.

 

A Lampedusa new radar of the Italian Air Force for surveillance of national airspace