On January 14, at the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait, the arrival of Task Group Devil at the Kuwaiti base was officially marked with a symbolic handshake between the Commanders of the two Task Groups. Task Group Devil operates Tornado aircraft from the 6th Wing in Ghedi, while Task Group Typhoon, operating Eurofighter aircraft from the fighter wings of the Italian Air Force, simultaneously exited the theater.
During its deployment in Kuwait, Task Group Typhoon, engaged in surveillance and reconnaissance operations, experienced a continuous rotation of aircrew and specialists from the 4th, 36th, 37th, and 51st Wings of the Italian Air Force, along with support personnel from various Armed Forces entities across the country. The ability to quickly integrate and work together led the Task Group to achieve a milestone of 8,000 operational flight hours in the theater by December 2023.
The transfer of Tornado aircraft from Italy and the return of Eurofighter aircraft were facilitated by a trail consisting of KC-767A from the 14th Wing for in-flight refueling, a strategic capability for the Italian Air Force that extends the flight autonomy of aerial assets.
For the Tornado aircraft, this marks a return to the Kuwaiti theater. Task Group Devil was previously deployed in Kuwait at Al Jaber Air Base from 2014 to 2016 and from 2020 to 2021, alternating with the AMX aircraft of Task Group Black Cats and the Eurofighter aircraft of Task Group Typhoon, accumulating over 4,000 flight hours over the years.
Established on October 17, 2014, to participate in the multinational Operation Inherent Resolve, the IT NCC AIR ensures a unique command and logistical support for the synergistic and coordinated deployment of assets provided by the Italian Air Force and, with the deployment of Task Group SAMP/T, by the Italian Army within the Coalition.
(www.difesa.it)