Jan. 2 – The assistance interventions for the Norman Atlantic ferry and migrant cargo ships in the Adriatic Sea are just the latest in a long series of air operations that, in the course of 2014, marked the commitment of the Italian Air Force, engaged daily in Italian airspace surveillance and defense operations. The Air Force has so-called dual duties, essential services for the community: air traffic control, meteorological service, aerospace medicine and emergency operations. Their commitment for search and rescue as well as humanitarian transportation, health and emergency activities sees the Air Force crews ready to take off at the request of prefectures and national hospitals. These components combine the Air Force’s human and technological dimensions; technologies that the Air Force contributes to develop and innovate, in collaboration with the domestic industry, as is the case of space flights, which represent both a natural extension of the Air Force and a vital opportunity for Italian scientific and technological progress. Luca Parmitano and Samantha Cristoforetti are just the most recent examples of this commitment. (red)
