90 years for the Italian Air Force...Part I

This year the Italian Air Force, Aeronautica Militare Italiana,
turns 90 years and in Naples for the official celebrations there are
many historical displays in the Royal Palace . Here are some pics of historical
uniforms and of a Predator MQ-1C by our Cioporeporter.
More pics in Part II...enjoy ;-)


Tropical uniform for fighter pilots, late 1930s...

A S-55 model...

Pilot...

A Macchi...

Modern pilot...

The Eurofighter Typhoon model...

Some pics of the Predator and some infos from the official website
of the Italian Air Force...

The MQ-1C Predator A+, which is an update to the A+ standard of RQ-1B Predator to enhance the performance and remove some obsolete characteristics, is built by General Atomics and it is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed essentially for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition. Derived from Gnat 750, it composed of three elements: the aircraft (with medium wing, inverted-V configuration and a piston engine with a thrust fan), with respective sensors (with all-weather capability) and the communication equipment, the ground control station (which, thanks to the satellite data link, can guide the UAV also beyond the horizon) and the dissemination system of all collected information. The Italian Air Force has acquired six UAV which, in addition to the purely military tasks, could contribute to the control activities and communication lines, within the fight against crime and illegal immigration. Since March 2000 an UAV Squadron has been established at the 32nd Wing in Amendola (Foggia) with the task to acquire and maintain the capability to conduct air operations with ‘Predator’ aircraft.    

Technical data:

Wingspan 14,8 m (48ft 56in)  - length 8,2 m (26ft 9in) - height 1,82 m (5ft 97in) – cruise speed 135-160 km (83-99 miles)/h – service ceiling 7.800 m (25,590ft) – operational range 24 hours on station at 296 km (183 miles) from its base - maximum mass (take-off) 952 kg (2,098 lb) -  powerplants: 1 four-cylinder engine Rotax 912 – useful load 240 kg (529 lb) (optical-electronic sensors, synthetic aperture radar).

 

 

 

 

 

More pics will follow in Part II ;-)