Istrana military airfield

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Istrana military airfield
“Vittorio Bragadin”
Istrana Military Air Base (Italy)
Red pog.svg
Characteristics
ICAO code LIPS
Coordinates

45 ° 41 '6 "  N , 12 ° 4' 58"  E Coordinates: 45 ° 41 '6 "  N , 12 ° 4' 58"  E
Height above MSL 42 m (138  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center 1 km northwest of Istrana
Street A4 , A27 , SR 53 , SP 102
Basic data
opening June 20, 1954 (new)
operator Aeronautica Militare
Start-and runway
08/26 2992 m × 32 m asphalt

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The Istrana military airfield is located in the northern Italian region of Veneto , around ten kilometers west of the provincial capital Treviso , in the area of ​​the municipality of Istrana . The name "Treviso-Istrana" is sometimes used to distinguish it from the now civil Treviso Airport , which is just under nine kilometers south-east .

Infrastructure and use

The Istrana military airfield , located on the plain between the Alps and Venice , has a runway that is almost three kilometers long and runs in a west-east direction (08/26). To the north of the runway and the runway that runs parallel to it , near the village of Pezzan, there are military installations with parking areas and protected aircraft shelters . Istrana is connected to the Northern Italy Pipeline System .

The 51st Squadron (51º Stormo) of the Italian Air Force is stationed at the airfield . It has in addition to various support units since the end of 2016, only a flying squadron , the mixed 132 ° Gruppo , with light fighter-bombers of the type AMX (A-11A / TA-11A Ghibli ) and fighters of the type Euro Fighter F-2000A Typhoon is equipped. The AMX are mainly used for close air support and reconnaissance , the Typhoon for securing the airspace over northern Italy and, within the framework of cross-border airspace surveillance within NATO , also over Slovenia if necessary . An alarm riot is permanently available in Istrana for this purpose . The complete conversion of the 132nd Squadron to Typhoon is planned. Part of the squadron is a smaller flying unit (651ª Squadriglia Collegamenti) with some MB-339A jet trainers and type AB212 rescue helicopters .

history

Istrana airfield was used by several Italian squadrons during World War I and remained in use in its original form until World War II . In its current form, it was created in the early 1950s during the escalating Cold War . Because of its strategically important location in northeast Italy, the Italian government and the military took drastic measures in 1952 to enable the new construction of the airfield. Around 100 local farmers were expropriated, some of whom subsequently emigrated with their families. Only in the course of time was the airfield and its soldiers able to integrate well into the social environment.

Coat of arms of the 51st Squadron

Immediately after its reopening in 1954, the Istrana military airfield became the location of the 51st squadron and, from 1956, also the 1st squadron. In accordance with the air force structure at the time, they were raised to brigade level. The 51ª Aerobrigata were subordinate to three flying squadrons ( 21º, 22º and 23º Gruppo ), which gradually received the F-84 in versions G and F and then the F-86K . In addition, an aerobatic team ( Tigri Bianche ) was formed with these aircraft in Istrana . The 1st Squadron stayed at the airfield for only three years with its F-86K and then became an anti-aircraft missile unit with staff in Padua as 1ª Aerobrigata .

The 51ª Aerobrigata was downgraded to a squadron again in 1967 ( 51º Stormo ) and lost first the 21º Gruppo to the 53rd Squadron in Cameri and then the 23º Gruppo to the 5th Squadron in Rimini-Miramare . At the same time, these squadrons were equipped with the F-104 Starfighter . In 1973 the 51st Squadron in Istrana received the 155º Gruppo from Piacenza , which operated with its star fighters in the fighter-bomber role, while the star fighters of the 22º Gruppo were used as interceptors until they were disbanded in February 1999. The 155º Gruppo went to Ghedi in early 1985 and converted to tornadoes . Its place in Istrana was taken in 1989 by the 103º Gruppo , which had previously been part of the 2nd Squadron ( 2º Stormo ) with its G.91R in Treviso-Sant'Angelo and was now the first Italian squadron to receive new AMX combat aircraft. The 22º Gruppo , which was dissolved in 1999 , was replaced by the 132º Gruppo , which came from the disbanded 3rd Squadron from Verona-Villafranca . Thus the two squadrons 103 and 132, equipped with AMX fighter-bombers (A-11A Ghibli), remained with the 51st squadron in Istrana. In July 2014, the 101º Gruppo , a training squadron with two-seater AMX-T (TA-11A), was transferred from Amendola to Istrana relocated and thus the entire AMX fleet is concentrated there. In September 2016, the resolution was carried out 103 ° Gruppo , in November 2016, the resolution of the 101 ° Gruppo . The remaining AMX and A-11A / TA-11A of the 51st Squadron are now combined in the 132nd Squadron.

After the dissolution of a fighter squadron at the Cervia military airfield near Rimini in 2010, the 4th squadron in Grosseto, central Italy, was responsible for securing the airspace over northern Italy and Slovenia. Then came because of the greater distance from Slovenia particular criticism of the response, in January 2017 Istrana an F-2000A Typhoon - QRA stationed until 2020 in exchange of the squadrons in Gioia del Colle has been asked and Grosseto. The 51st Squadron in Istrana has had its own Typhoon since 2020, which will gradually replace the AMX there. For the stationing of the Typhoon , the necessary renovation and modernization work was carried out at the Istrana military airfield.

Between 1995 and 1999, Italian and French fighter planes took part in operations in support of international missions in the former Yugoslavia from Istrana .

Others

  • The squadron coat of arms shown here shows the black cat of the 51st squadron, which is the basis for the nickname Black Cats . The green mice were once in the coat of arms of the disbanded 12th squadron. In the 1930s, the latter was subject to an exercise by the 51st Squadron, which it immortalized in the above form on its coat of arms.
  • The 132nd Fighter Bomber Squadron, a former torpedo bomber squadron , was subordinate to the highly decorated bomber pilot Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia during World War II (as a flying group in the original sense) . For this reason, aircraft of the squadron have the Buscaglia lettering on the fuselage or tail unit. This season also has four black cats in its coat of arms since the Second World War.
  • On November 22, 1981, a drag race between a starfighter of the 51st Squadron and took place at the military airfield Istrana Formula 1 - Ferrari instead. Gilles Villeneuve narrowly defeated the starfighter on the 1 km distance.
  • AMX fighter planes of the 51st Squadron from Istrana can be seen regularly in the military part of Treviso Airport . There is a maintenance association that is responsible for the major overhaul of this type of aircraft.

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