C-17 and C-130 Operations Aviano airbase
The Italian Air Force has ownership and administrative control of the base and serves 31 Fighter Wing of the Air Force U S.
The FW 31 is the only US fighter wing south of the Alps This strategic location, the wing critical for operations in the southern region of NATO 4 31 FW maintains two fighter squadrons F-16, the "555th Fighter squadron and the 510th FS allowing the wing to conduct air combat operations and defensive offense.
In peacetime, 31 FW prepares for his combat role by maintaining aircraft and personnel in preparation for state 4 The base is one of six NATO facilities in Europe that hold tactical nuclear weapons 5.
Aviano Air Base was established by the Italian government in 1911, and was used as a training base for Italian drivers and construction facilities for aircraft parts during World War II, Italy used field of Aviation in missions against the Austro-Hungarian and German armies at that time, two Italian pilots, captain Maurizio Pagliano and Lieutenant Luigi Gori conducted unauthorized, but heroic and successful air raid on the Austrian shipyards Pula in what is now Croatia in their honor, officially changed the name of the base Aeroporto Pagliano e Gori in 1919. During the war, the airfield was also invaded by the Austro-German army in the months between November 1917 to November 1918 between the wars, the airfield was again used as a training base.
During World War II both the Italian Air Force and the Luftwaffe carried out missions Aeroporto Pagliano e Gori British forces captured in 1945 the base; they are conducted air operations until 1947, when the Italian Air Force took over the operational use of the airport.
The quake caused no damage to the 1976 regulation.
31 Fighter Wing is composed of four groups, each consisting of several squadrons.
31 Operations Group ensures the combat readiness of two squadrons of F-16CG, an air control squadron, and operational support squadron conduct and support of air operations worldwide and prepares fighter pilots controllers, and support staff to perform the US and NATO war plans and emergency it trains operations team, plans, and provides weather, intelligence, assessment of standardization and command and control global operations vol 6 maintenance.
31 Maintenance Group maintains in peacetime and combat and ammunition control, and management support for the 31 Fighter Wing, geographically separated units under the command and control of the wing, and the units acquired during the preparation steps advanced 31 MXG also addresses humanitarian and emergency logistics support requirements as chiefs of staff guidelines by the headquarters of US forces Air Europe at locations in Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia 7.
31 The goal of the mission support group is to provide infrastructure and services to support a combat capability first and quality of life at 31 Fighter Wing, Aviano community and several geographically separated units 8.
31 Medical Group supports the preparation of the 31 Fighter Wing and associated units throughout the South region, ensure the health of the community by providing optimal medical care focused on internal patients, Ministry of Defense and resources of countries host L the unit employs medical and preventive resources initiatives to ensure airmen remain ready to support mission of the air Expeditionary Force, US and NATO objectives in the world 9.
As part of the most significant restructuring since the Air Force became a separate service, the Tactical Air Command was inactivated and air combat command was activated and the 31 Fighter Wing tactic was redesignated to its current name, 31 Fighter Wing 10.
On 24 August 1992, when Hurricane Andrew swept through South Florida, leaving extensive damage in its wake Homestead AFB Each building received damage, many buildings were destroyed 11 fighter squadrons evacuated the most aircraft before the storm, but were unable to get back in stride, the Secretary of defense recommended the complete closure of the base, but in June 1993 the base realignment and closure Commission recommended realigning the base under the reserve air force and inactivating the 31 Fighter Wing squadrons were assigned to other wings and began a 31 FW inactivation procedure.
General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon Block 15Q 83-1080 of the 308th FS, around 1988.
The damaged control tower and operations base building Homestead AFB, Florida after Hurricane Andrew slammed into the base 24 August 1992
To avoid losing the wing of the heritage and history as the highest scoring unit of the Army Air Force in the Mediterranean Theater in World War II, the impressive combat record in Vietnam and the number of major raw that they produced in the early years of the air Force, 31 FW was chosen to move rather than fade into obscurity on April 1st 1994, the 31 Fighter Wing inactivated at Homestead AFB, then activated at air base Aviano, Italy instead of the wing 401st Fighter 12.
Activation ceremony for the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano AB, Italy, on 1 April 1994.
The 31FW received two new squadrons at that time, the 555th Fighter Squadrons and the 510th and their block-40 F-16s wing immediately get involved in the events in Bosnia part of the former communist countries Yugoslavia in May 1994 as part of operation Deny flight in June 1995, an operation research and massive rescue occurred to extract the Scott O Grady 555th FS captain who was shot on the territory controlled by Bosnian Serb Bosnia AUS Marine Corps CH-53 picked him after avoiding the capture of six days 13.
In August and September, Operation Deliberate Force began 31 FW led air strikes against Bosnian Serbs who perform ethnic cleansing within the Muslim population of the country of peacekeeping operations continued in Balkans until the end of 2004, when the European Union has assumed responsibility for the region 14.
In 1999, the US Air Force in Europe enabled Air Expeditionary Wing 31 NOBLE ANVIL Aviano for Operation Allied Force NATO's operation to halt Serb atrocities in Kosovo province Assigned in a joint working group , 31 AEW, flew from Aviano and joined the NATO allies in air campaign 78 days against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Serbia from 24 March to 10 June 1999 31 AEW, the largest air Expeditionary Wing in the history of the air force flew nearly 9,000 combat sorties and accumulated nearly 40,000 hours of combat service in the skies over Kosovo, Serbia and the rest of the Balkans in support of NATO operations the wing accomplished much during OAF that both permanently assigned air squadrons, the 510th and 555th, flew more than 2400 combined outputs and over 10,000 combat hours 15.
In 2000, the wing began deploying in support of the expeditionary Air Force From March to September 2000, 510th and 555th Fighter Squadrons conducted back-to-back deployments Ahmed Al Jaber AB Kuwait to support of the South shows operation While at Al Jaber, squadrons flew more than 400 combat sorties.
From June to December 2001, the combat squadrons deployed search and rescue capabilities in combat three times and helped enforce the no-fly zone over Iraq.
From August to December 2002 the 510th squadron of hunting and 603rd Air Control Squadron returned to southwest Asia Both squads supported Operation Enduring Freedom.
At the same time, the 555th deployed personnel and aircraft to Decimomannu AB Sardinia when the track in Aviano closed for repairs.
For insertion Airland airborne airborne forces to open a second front in northern Iraq Meanwhile, support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Wing began late 2003 Aviano served as a launching point, secure the wing, with beds and fed more than 2,300 army and air force operation, the largest airborne operation since 1989, consists of 62 missions, transporting 2,146 passengers 7 and 2433 tons of cargo.
Since the beginning of combat operations in Iraq, the wing forces were on regular combat rotations in the region in late 2003, 603rd Air Control Squadron Wing became the first unit of the wing to deploy to Iraq They also relocated their entire Baghdad International airport to Balad AB operating in combat conditions, the squadron transferred 73 million in equipment and more than 100 people with 20 convoys April 10, 2004, the insurgents launched a mortar attack on Balad, killing Airman 1st class Antoine Holt and wounding two other members of 603rd Airman Holt of death ACS were the FW 31 first fatal accident of battle since the Vietnam war.
31 Fighter Wing continued to deploy forces in support of OIF and OEF, with over a third of the wing deployed to support operations each year in 2003 and 2007.
Since arriving in Aviano, the wing also participated in numerous training exercises with international partners, including training deployments to Latvia, the Czech Republic Romania Bulgaria Spain Slovenia and Poland.
In March 2011, the 31 FW played a major role in the UN response to the crisis in Libya, known as Operation Odyssey Dawn in applying fly zone UNSR 1973 The wing has hosted four units Leaflets and more than 1,350 people during the 15 -day operation March 17 31 He worked tirelessly to launch 2,250 flight operations Aviano AB As OOD ended March 31, so began the operation Unified Protector with NATO to take the lead until the transaction concluded on October 31 of this year 12.
Aviano F-16s again returned to the sky over Libya in June 2014 due to heavy fighting in Tripoli during the 2014 conflict in Libya Embassy of the United States was evacuated for 16 F NEO five three s launched from Aviano supervised the evacuation of American citizens as employees of the embassy and the US Marines conveyed by land from Tripoli to Tunisia 16 17 18.
In the disaster of Cavalese cable, February 3, 1998, U S Navy jet too low Missile on an air base training exercise Aviano severed cable cable car in the Alps in Cavalese Italy, causing 20 deaths 19.
On November 4, 2009, the conviction by an Italian court of 22 CIA agents, a US Air Force colonel and two Italian secret agents SISMI confirmed the role of the Aviano Air Base in the abduction, February 17, 2003, from Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr in the so-called extraordinary rendition program 20 men, abducted in Milan by CIA agents, was taken to Aviano air base for interrogation before being transported via Ramstein air base in Germany Alexandria in Egypt and surrendered to the State security guard Egypt intelligence 20 21 22.
Zone A1 contains some of Aviano support functions such as the library and the chapel and the Ministry of Defense Dependents School children of the base population.
Zone A2 contains a fitness center, dining facility, dormitories, worn clothing and a fire department.
Area C contains most of the 31 civil facilities of the squadron.
Zone E contains the NPC, kennels military work and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations detachment of the Italian Carabinieri military police also have their headquarters base in this area.
Zone F is the flightline area, and is the largest area Aviano The complex contains the active runway and taxiways and most of the basic facilities.
Part of this text in a first version of this article was taken from pages on the site Aviano Air Base, which as a work of the U S government is supposed to be a public resource This information was supplemented by.
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USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft - serial numbers 1908 to today.
Aviano Air Base, Aviano base 31 Fighter Wing, Alabama Office Desk.