CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait –
Italian Air Task Group "Griffon" and the U.S. Task Force "Gunfighter" benefit from good collaboration. They are two departments of the Aviation Brigade, a unit included within the multinational Coalition operating in Iraq.
In the past weeks, pilots and technicians of the operating departments met to improve the integration of flight procedures in the Inherent Resolve operation.
The main objective was to develop a shared plan for responding to in-flight emergencies and discussing possible complex scenarios in which a constant procedural and operational synergy is essential.
In this international context, sharing of flight procedures is a necessary condition for safely carrying out missions. The joint training and the development of contingency plans, represent the foundations for the integration of rotary wing structures of different types, capacities and technologies.
The "Griffon" Air Task Group is a highly specialized department consisting of the crews and personnel of Italian Army Aviation. It has been operating in Iraq since March 2016, when it was deployed to the Erbil airport, with UH90, AH129 helicopters as the only non-American assets included in the complex staff recovery architecture of the Inherent Resolve operation.
Since January 2018, it has contributed to the transportation of the Combined Joint Task Force, framed by an American-commanded international air brigade, the "Trailblazer" Task Force, also composed of units from U.S. Army aviation and the Spanish Army of Tierra.