In technical jargon they call it SMI, Slow Mover Interceptor, that is to say the interception of small suspect aircraft: for years it has been one of the anti-terrorism cornerstones of the national air defense
.
Air Force
flight crews
are constantly training in this type of activity and one of the front line departments is the 36 / o Stormo di Gioia del Colle, in the province of Bari.
It is a complex job, which begins with the detection with radar in unauthorized airspace of the 'slow aircraft' - which can be a tourist plane, a glider, a drone - continues with the alert to crews in SMI gear and ends with the interception, control and recognition of the potential threat.
Most of the time these are false alarms: a mistake on the part of the pilot or simple carelessness, but it is clear that this type of danger can never be underestimated.
With the widespread use of light and ultralight aircraft, events such as the invasion of prohibited airspace happen more frequently than you think and this is the reason why the Armed Force invests heavily in this type of training.
An ANSA photographer
was able to participate exclusively in the last SMI exercise of the Italian Air Force, aboard almost all the aircraft that were used: a latest generation F2000 Eurofighter of the 36 / o Stormo;
a small U-208A aircraft of the 60 / o Stormo di Guidonia;
the HH-139A helicopters of 84 / o Sar center of 15 / o Stormo, which normally deal with search and rescue and emergency medical transport even in biocontainment, a feature that makes them particularly useful also for the Covid emergency .
Some fifth generation F-35 fighters of the 32 / o Stormo di Amendola and, on the ground, the Riflemen of the Air of the 16 / o Stormo Protection of the Martina Franca Forces also participated in the training activity.