Draft:Amendola Airport
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Amendola Airport ( ICAO : LIBA ) is an Italian military airport located in Puglia, 15 km northeast of the city of Foggia , along the Strada statale 89 Garganica, in the hamlet of Amendola between the municipalities of San Giovanni Rotondo, Manfredonia and San Marco in Lamis. The structure, named in memory of the pilot lieutenant Luigi Rovelli, gold medal for military valor , is equipped with a 2720 m long asphalt runway. With its area of 1050 hectares it is the largest military airport in Italy, in Europe second only to Ramstein Air Base. The airport is managed by the Air Force and according to the Ministerial Decree of 25 January 2008 published in the Official Journal of 7 March 2008 the airport is classified as a MOB (Main Operating Base) of the first group and as such carries out exclusively military activities, not being open to commercial traffic.
The very large military airport is mainly located in the territory of San Giovanni Rotondo and partly in Manfredonia, in the Tavoliere countryside. Built in an area located at a considerable distance from the nearest urban centers, this aspect has led to the birth of a small urban agglomeration ("Villaggio Azzurro" in the municipal portion of San Marco in Lamis) built to accommodate military personnel and employees of the airport base.
History
[edit]The airport was already operational in the Second World War, first for the Regia Aeronautica and then for the Luftwaffe . After 8 September 1943 it became a base for the US 15th Air Force, and by 1944 it was the largest military airport in Europe. Today it is the second largest air base in Europe, second only to the US base at Ramstein, Germany. [
The US units based at Amendola were:
- 2d Bombardment Group, (B-17 Flying Fortress), 19 November 1945 – 28 February 1946
- 57th Fighter Group, (P-47 Thunderbolt), 27 October 1943 – 1 March 1944
- 97th Bombardment Group, (B-17 Flying Fortress), 16 January 1944 – 1 October 1945
- 321st Bombardment Group, (B-25 Mitchell), 20 November 1943 – 14 January 1944
- 330th Wing RAF, (142nd and 150th Squadrons), (Wellington X), February 1944 - July 1944
- 240th Wing RAF, (178th and 614th Squadrons), (Liberator [B-24] B.Mk VI and VIII) 4 July 1944 – 25 August 1945
The airport, in addition to hosting heavy bombers taking off for long-range missions over German territory, was also home to the Balkan Air Force, which also included aircraft from the newly formed Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, which provided support to the Yugoslav and Greek partisans.
In the 1950s it hosted the Advanced Basic Flight School and on 15 March 1950 it received the first de Havilland Vampires which were the first jet aircraft supplied to the Italian Air Force. Subsequently, the North American F-86 Sabres were assigned . From 1 July 1993 it hosted the 13th Fighter Group.
The base hosts the 32nd Wing of the Italian Air Force, on which the 28th Remotely Piloted Aircraft Group depends, equipped with MQ-1C and MQ-9A remotely piloted aircraft (UAV) . The Predators were deployed operationally in Iraq in 2005, in Afghanistan (2006 - 2007) and in Libya (2010-2011). Currently the Predators of the 32nd Wing are deployed in Kuwait in support of operations against ISIS and in Djibouti in aid of operations against piracy in the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean.
For a program of transformation and reorganization of the Italian Air Force, in the span of 7 months, the 32nd Wing changes its structure:
- in July 2014 the 101st Flight Group OCU (Operational Conversion Unit, mainly aimed at training on the AMX-T aircraft) was transferred to the 51st Wing of Istrana (TV);
- In December 2013, the 13th CBR Flight Group, after a 96-year history, was placed in Quadro position. [ 10 ]
The significant events are part of the long and complex transformation process of the 32nd Wing of Amendola (FG), in accordance with specific directives from the Armed Forces.
Amendola was the first base in Europe to receive the 5th generation F-35 JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) aircraft: on 12 December 2016 the first two aircraft landed at the 32nd Wing.
As with other military airports, the base organizes "open days" to present to the public the activities of the armed forces and the means in service. Representatives of foreign air forces also participate in the event.