A A pair of Eurofighter fighters from the Italian Air Force took flight from the Grosseto air base, this afternoon, to intercept an ultralight aircraft whose flight plan was unknown and that was moving along the Adriatic coast of Abruzzo in a northerly direction. The order for immediate intervention (in technical jargon Alfa-Scramble) was given by the Combined air operations centre in Torrejon (Spain), the NATO command that controls the alliance’s airspace south of the Alps, which, through the Aerospace Operations Command – 11th Integrated Missile Air Defence Group (DAMI) in Poggio Renatico (Ferrara), activated the pair of Eurofighters from the fourth Wing that were already in flight for a training activity.
The pair of military aircraft immediately headed towards the unknown air track and, once they reached the ultralight aircraft at the height of Recanati, they carried out the expected visual identification (Vid) procedure to ensure that there were no emergency conditions or threats to safety. The aircraft was however followed and escorted until it landed near an airstrip north of Recanati.
Previously, the two military aircraft had been activated to intercept another civilian aircraft that was not responding to radio calls but had then re-established communications with air traffic control agencies. This is, the Air Force says, a particular type of intervention, carried out by aircraft already in flight as part of planned exercises and training activities, which further reduces reaction times and allows for optimization of the operational resources used in this area.
#Unknown #Ultralight #Skies #Eurofighter #Fighter #Intervention