The Air Force General Staff announced that on the occasion of the visit by Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini to Doha concluded in recent days, in which - among others - various related issues were addressed bilateral military and industrial technical cooperation between the two countries, an important technical agreement was signed between the Italian Air Force and that of Qatar in the field of training for military pilots, which also involves Leonardo SpA through the International Flight Training School (IFTS) project.
Qatar's interest in AM capabilities in the "pilot training" sector stems from a series of bilateral activities, culminating in July 2019 with the visit of the Deputy Chief of Staff of Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) to the 61 ° Stormo di Galatina, focused on the T-346A aircraft, on the potential of the Integrated Training System (ITS) and on the training programs of the Air Force at the International Flight Training School.
The five-year Technical Agreement Gov To Gov, signed between the Chiefs of Staff of the respective Air Forces, will govern the legal status and the profiles of responsibility connected to the presence and training at the Italian bases of the Qatari visitors destined for the combat lines. of the QEAF.
With this agreement, therefore, military cooperation between the two countries and in particular between the two Air Forces is increased, in which personnel and training systems of the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa.
The IFTS initiative arises from the strategic collaboration between the Italian Air Force and Leonardo SpA for the construction of an advanced flight training center that will constitute the international reference in the training of military pilots starting from Phase IV (Advanced / Lead-In to Fighter Training). It is a virtuous example of collaboration and synergy for the country system capable of meet the growing demand of the Italian Air Force and partner countries for the training of their pilots. The project will in fact allow double the current training offer through the creation of a new training center distributed between the base of Galatina and that of Decimomannu.
The partnership between the Air Force, with a long and consolidated experience in flight training, e Leonardo SpA, leader in integrated training, will enable the premiere of optimize the cost / effectiveness of flight training and, secondly, to strengthen its international position as a “Training Service Provider”.