English translation

The Guardia Costiera (Italian Coast Guard) air base of Catania, established by Decree of the Minister of Transport No. 116/T of 14 April 2008 becomes the headquarters of Capitano di Vascello (Captain of Vessel) and performs administrative-logistical and managerial functions of infrastructure, while the subordinate 2° Nucleo Aereo (Air Nucleus) , with attached the 2ª Sezione di Volo Elicotteri (Helicopter Flight Section), maintains the technical-operational and maintenance functions of the assigned aircraft.
The base is included in the jurisdiction of the Comando Militare Marittimo Autonomo (Independent Military Maritime Command) of Sicilia and is under the Direzione Marittima (Maritime Directorate) of Catania, the Units operate within the Italian MRCC-AOR (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Area Of Responsibility). The prompt use of the aircraft of the 2° Nucleo and its crews is entrusted to the Operations Centre of the General Command of Roma or to the MRSC (Maritime Rescue Sub Center) of Italy if delegated by the General Command.
It occupies some areas disbanded by the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) in 1999, and delivered in 2001 to the 2° Nucleo Aereo Guardia Costiera. After the final acquisition of the areas, several significant works of renovation and modernization of the base were carried out.
I remember that the civil airport of Catania-Fontanarossa is one of the most important airports in the country, the first structures date back to 1924, but only in 1947 the airport sees the first scheduled connection from Torino-Collegno, until the '60s the civil terminal was little used, but subsequently had a continuous crescendo, until it became the sixth airport in Italy. Surely the history that has shaped since the dawn of the Sicilia airport are the military flight activities, in fact the origins of military flight in Catania date back to the pioneering era, already in 1912 even if not officially, intense activities were carried out in a airfield in the area south of the city. Since 1922 there has been evidence of the presence of a military component, identified in the Battaglione Aviatori (Aviator Battalion) of the Regio Esercito (Italian Royal Army), later merged in 1923 into the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force). While the following year (1923) the presence in the field of an airport nucleus is formalized. The official inauguration of the airport of Fontanarossa took place on May 11, 1924 at the hands of the then Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, at the juncture on the ground there was a small amount of Ca.450 Caproni bombers.
With the passage of time the activity increases, so in the mid-thirties a Squadriglia (Flight) from Catania is created on the airport, while the moment of greatest use is during the Second World War; considered its highly strategic position is used by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) as a "springboard" to hit the nearby Malta. Throughout the war it remains a crossroads of important events. After the war, both the civil and the military structure were developed, the Aeronautica Militare was present with the 87° Gruppo Autonomo Antisom (Autonomous Antisom Squadron), a unit that was equipped with the SB2C Helldiver from 1949, the PV 2 Harpoon in 1953 and finally the S 2F Tracker in 1957. The 87° Gruppo (Squadron) in 1965 will constitute the 41° Stormo (Wing) based in Sigonella.
The current airport of Catania retains a strong military connotation, in addition to the Guardia Costiera are present on the same site the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) (Maristaeli - Helicopter Station), the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Custom Police) (Sezione Aerea di Manovra - Air Maneuvering Section), the Carabinieri (Military Police) (12° Nucleo Elicotteri - Helicopters Nucleus) and the Vigili del Fuoco (Fire Brigade) (Nucleo Elicotteri - Helicopters Nucleus).
The operational activity of the 2° Nucleo Aereo (established by Interministerial Decree 24 May 1989) began on 19 September 1989, completing a great period of restructuring and expansion of the Corpo delle Capitanerie di Porto (Corps of Harbour Offices), that has seen the consolidation of the operative ramification of the Corpo introducing the name "Guardia Costiera" (Ministerial Decree 08 June 1989) and the emanation of the Law 31 December 1982 n.979 (law on the defense of the sea).
In detail, Law No 979/82 contains important provisions on the protection of the coasts and the marine environment and provides, in addition to the strengthening of the surveillance and rescue service at sea, the acquisition of aircraft and the establishment, in agreement with the Ministry of Defence, of a service of vigilance on the marine and economic activities carried out in the areas of jurisdiction.
On 6 December 2004, in the presence of the Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Mario Tassone, some of the new structures of the air base and in particular the main hangar of 110 x 35 meters were inaugurated.
The event coincided with the centralization, in the air base of Catania, of all aircraft P 166DL3 SEM (Sorveglianza Ecologica e Marittima or Ecological and Maritime Surveillance) and with a significant intensification of operational activity.
This process of change has allowed to deploy at the base all the means provided to the Componente Aerea (Air Component) of the Guardia Costiera and its personnel to power what has established itself over time as the largest center for patrolling and rescue in sea of southern Italy.
With the Executive Decree of the General Command of the Corpo delle Capitanerie di Porto n.692 of 27 June 2006, the 2ª Sezione Volo Elicotteri was established, inserted in the organization chart of the submitted 2° Nucleo Aereo and operational from 12 July of the same year.
The opening of the 2ª Sezione Elicotteri took place in the headquarters of Catania, some AB 412CP helicopters and personnel of the 1ª Sezione Aerea of Luni-Sarzana (La Spezia) thus benefiting from the consolidated experience of pilots, flight operators, air carriers and aeronautical specialists from the Liguria air base.
From 1 April 2008 the Unit includes among its aircraft also the ATR 42MP, modern performance aircraft that represents the latest technical evolution in the field of patrol and rescue.
Subsequently, in 2010 and 2011, two new helicopters were assigned to the air base of Catania, the AW 139CP (Nemo) designated over time to replace the AB 412CP and the latest addition of the company Piaggio Aero Industries the P 180CP Avanti II.
To complete the historical path of the 2° Nucleo Aereo, it should be mentioned that in 2013 the 25-year anniversary of the Componente Aerea of the Corpo delle Capitanerie di Porto was celebrated.
The tasks assigned to the flight crews of the Corpo and their aircraft include the carrying out of surveillance on activities taking place on the sea: control over fishing activities, protection of the marine environment, supervision of migratory flows and, institutionally fundamental task, search and rescue missions for shipwrecks and ships in difficulty; in particular with regard to the rescue the operation of the Unit covers the territorial but especially the national.
Today the accommodation capacity of the infrastructure of the Base Aeromobili (two maintenance hangars) allows the recovery of four lines of aircraft, until very little time were present in Catania all five flight lines of the Corpo.
Together with the Command building, the operational building with the COCA (Centrale Operativa Controllo Aeromobili or Aircraft Control Operations Center), the guest quarters for the reception of military sent on mission, the warehouses of spare aeronautical parts, the laboratory for image processing and a flight line sufficiently wide and directly connected to the runway of the civil airport, for the reception also of State aircraft in transit in Catania - Fontanarossa, make the Base Aeromobili Guardia Costiera, the peripheral structure of employment of the aerial means of the Corpo delle Capitanerie di Porto more important of the nation.
A further peculiarity of the Base Aeromobili is the presence of the first fully airborne depot, belonging to the "National Antidote Escort", a valuable resource that the State makes available to the population in the event that a health response to an attack using unconventional weapons.
From its inception until today the air base of Catania has certainly made a significant contribution in ensuring the institutional aspects that are entrusted to it, such as the safety of navigation, the control of the sea and the control of immigration, The latter factor predominates in the activities of the Guardia Costiera aircraft, men and women. The results of the establishment are as follows:
in 2003 783 flight hours were flown, in 2004 1,267, in 2005 1,650, in 2006 1,846, in 2007 2,072, in 2008 1,971, in 2009 1,958, in 2010 1,826, in 2011 2,418, in 2012 1,616, in 2013 1,800, In 2014 with 2,700 flight hours there is still a strong increase in operations due to a further intensification of illegal immigration from North Africa, finally in 2015, the data are partial as they take into account the first half, amounted to 1,700 flight hours. The data that stand out alone are the 2,418 hours of flight of 2011 carried out in conjunction with a first peak of landings of illegal immigrants made during that year, 62,292 on Italian territory, while 22,343 were immigrants in 1997 and in 2014 we went to over 170,000.
Now we see how over the years the various flight lines have contributed to the affirmation of the previous data.
In 2006, the P 166DL3 flew for 1,612.9 hours, the AB 412CP for 252.8 hours from 11 July.
In 2007 the P 166DL3 1.469.1 flight hours, the AB 412CP 603.1 hours, the ATR 42MP 84 hours.
In 2008 the P 166DL3 943.5 hours, the AB 412CP 540.6 hours, the ATR 42MP 586.5 hours of flight from April 1.
In 2009 the P 166DL3 843.5 hours, the AB 412CP 529.3 hours, the ATR 42MP 586 hours of flight.
In 2010 the P 166DL3 530 hours, the AB 412CP 481.6 hours, the ATR 42MP 683 hours, are added the AW 139CP with 131.1 hours of flight from 8 July.
In 2011 the P 166DL3 490 hours, the AB 412CP 383.6 hours, the ATR 42MP 960 hours, the AW 139CP 321.6 hours, from 24 March is added the P 180CP with 263 hours of flight.
In 2012 the P 166DL3 256.1 hours, the AB 412CP 318.7 hours, the ATR 42MP 417 hours, the AW 139CP 486.9 hours, the only P 180CP 137.3 hours of flight.
In 2013 the data are updated until 30 October the P 166DL3 with 169.6 hours, the AB 412CP 246.8 hours, the ATR 42MP 650.3 hours, the AW 139CP 404.4 hours and the P 180CP with 305.2 hours of flight.
The AB 412CP belonging to the 2° Nucleo Aereo since 2013 have been centralized at the air base of Luni - Sarzana, the last flight of the "Koala" carried out at the Base Aeromobili of Catania dates back to 23 October 2013.

P 180CP Next II
The Avanti I version of the P 180 was designed starting from 1980, the first flight took place in 1986, in 1990 it was certified by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) for use in the United States.
The Avanti II model was launched on the market in 2004, in 2005 it obtained European and American certification.
The P 180 is a turboprop aircraft with superior performance, can carry from six to nine passengers, can land on short runways and thus offers wider possibilities of use than larger aircraft. It stands out from its competitors by its ability to achieve a high level of performance, with unmatched fuel efficiency that means low emissions and reduced operating costs. It is currently the only aircraft in the world designed, developed and certified with a three-surface configuration, mass produced.
The Avanti is also the only aircraft in its category (turbo-prop and light jet) with a real stand-up cabin with a height of 1.80 meters, in addition to being able to stand, passengers can move freely thanks to the large cross section of the cabin. Quietness and large reclining chairs make it a suitable means for "executive" transport over short to medium distances.
The Avanti II version supplied to the Guardia Costiera is the improved version of the predecessor Avanti I, among its features there is a new version of the PT6 engine, which allows it to increase the maximum speed by 11 knots while maintaining unchanged fuel consumption, maximum speed setting at 300kts (555 km/h), while the patrol speed is 160 kts (296 km/h). In the new version, the maximum takeoff weight has been raised to 12,100 pounds with significant payload gains and autonomy; the latter is 560 nautical miles (1,036 km) when used at maximum speed, while the maximum tangency attainable is 25,000 ft.
Other changes were introduced mainly in the cockpit, integrated digital instrumentation and configuration "glass cockpit", three LCD screens where all the information generated by the sensors, flight parameters, engines, Aircraft and advanced navigation systems, collision avoidance systems (TCAS) and TAWS (Terrain Awareness and Warning System) and communication. One of the most important improvements introduced is the installation of flaps on the front fins operated simultaneously with the classic ones of the main wing.
The only model in service with the Guardia Costiera (12-01 MM62274) delivered in March 2011 is equipped with a system FLIR (Forward Looking infrared) SEAFIRE II and a broadcasting system SATCOM (SATellite COMmunications). The use of the P 180 at the 2° Nucleo Aereo is mainly aimed at the fast transport of personnel and organs; the use as a Maritime Patrol is certainly secondary because the aircraft, which is not born for this purpose, suffers from aerodynamic limitations due to the presence of the FLIR turret and satellite antenna, with severe penalties for speed at height, in addition, on-board weather radar is used for the detection of vessels which can only identify vessels of a certain size at the expense of small vessels, this is not a marginal factor, because we know very well that illegal immigration often uses this type of vessel. However, it should be noted that in 2013 the P 180 was used in missions in support of Frontex with acceptable results.

P 166DL3-SEM
The Piaggio P 166 was designed by engineers Giovanni Casiraghi and Alberto Faraboschi since 1955, produced in various versions A, B, C, M, S, DL3 and DP1 were built over 150 units.
At first, the Piaggio was quite successful in Italy, in the United States and in Canada with the P 136 "Royal Gull", the P 166 is the natural successor maintaining the gull wing, the tail planes and the motorization and propellers pushing. The innovations of the "Piaggione" were the larger dimensions, the retractable rear tricycle trolley, the greater strength and the fact that it could only operate on land, while the P 136 was also amphibious. The first flight of the P 166 took place at Villanova airport in Albenga on 26 November 1957 and obtained RAI/FAA certification on 31 July 1958. The P 136/166 were the first aircraft built in Italy after the war that received the "Type Certificate" of the FAA.
The largest user of the P 166 was the Aeronautica Militare with 49 aircraft in the M version (based on the civilian version designated A) and with six aircraft in the DL3-APH version used for aerial photography. The Aeronautica Militare withdraw from active service the last DL3-APH in 2010.
The last flying examples in Italy serve with the Guardia Costiera with two examples, and with the Guardia di Finanza ten examples in the DP1 version and two in the original DL3.
The P 166DL3-SEM (Sorveglianza Ecologica e Marittima) is equipped with an autopilot, a navigation system LORAN and a GPS Stand-Off, radio navigation equipment VOR, TCAN, ADF, DME, IFF and Radar-altimeter, VHF transmission systems in the aeronautical band, in HF and in VHF-FM in the marine band. The maximum speed is 240 km/h, the maximum tangency of 7,300 meters, the range of 842 km, the crew usually consists of two pilots, an operator and a specialist.
Mission avionics includes a multifunctional FIAR Bendix 1500A Radar apparatus (research/discovery, navigation and meteorological) whose antenna is placed in a special radome placed under the front of the aircraft; a FLIR sensor, a Research Beacon, a VNIR CASI-1500 (Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager) Environmental Remote Sensing System, the CASI 1500 is a "Pushbroom" sensor capable of creating georeferenced images of up to 1500 pixels, Hyperspectral with 288 channels ranging from the visible to the infrared field. The potential of this innovative sensor are many and in the most varied fields of application. Particularly interesting is the possibility of being able to simultaneously analyze data in RGB (visible) and infrared, allowing immediate context analysis to drastically reduce the margin of error. Thanks to a high-quality optics and the use of the latest generation of CCD sensors, the system can produce images that guarantee a ground resolution of about 25 cm (at present no sensor can guarantee a similar resolution). In addition to representing the state of the art of airborne sensors for the quality of the images it produces, thanks to RTPS technology, it is able to process the data acquired that will form the thematic maps of context in real-time. This means significantly reducing the processing time of data on the ground and ensuring a fast operational response.
The 2° Nucleo Aereo at the time of our visit operated exclusively with "Orca 3", while "Orca 4" is currently in Piaggio for important maintenance work.
The use of the aircraft from 2012, with the end of the cycle on Lampedusa and the installation of CASI 1500, is almost exclusively the preserve of missions of Environmental Remote Sensing, exceptionally it is used for SAR missions being still able to use the FLIR and the Research Beacon. The last mission in SAR version was carried out in October last year to search for a raft with four missing at Capo Rizzuto. Currently at the 2° Nucleo operate only two crews qualified to the DL3, four pilots, two specialists and two operators to the systems, with the transfer of the Piaggio "Orca 3" last June at the 3° Nucleo Aereo of Pescara the crews are making the transition on the ATR 42. A DL3 Pilot Officer is currently stationed at Latina Air Base (70° Stormo of the Aeronautica Militare) to carry out the task of instructor for any "machine passages" or "maintenance qualifications", it operates with an aircraft P 166DP1 of the Guardia di Finanza.
One of the most important missions carried out in recent times by the P 166 of the 2° Nucleo was a remote sensing action of the waters around the wreck of the Costa Concordia before its removal. Another remote sensing mission was carried out in the Metaponte with an operator from the CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche or National Research Council) on board. Although no longer used for this purpose, the P 166 can still be used for Fisheries Surveillance missions using the search radar and the search beacon.

AW 139CP
The AgustaWestland AW 139 is a medium type helicopter (class six tons) twin-engine equipped with rigid five blades rotor.
Initially developed jointly by Agusta and the American Bell, the designation was AB 139, following the withdrawal from the Bell Helicopters project and the merger of Agusta with the British Westland was renamed AW 139.
The AW 139 made its first flight on 3 February 2001 at the Agusta plant in Cascina Costa, while the first production model flew on 24 June 2002, the first delivery took place in 2003. The production plant is located in Vergiate in the Province of Varese.
The AW 139 has had considerable success in both the civil and military markets, currently the model is a category leader with over 900 orders, the uses and configurations are multiple, ranging from the roles of Air Ambulance, Off-Shore operations on oil platforms, VIP transport to SAR (Search and Rescue) activities, not to mention joint transport, the cabin can accommodate up to 15 passengers, the helicopter is normally flown by two pilots but can also operate in "single pilot" mode.
The aircraft features all state-of-the-art technology including a Honeywell Primus Epic integrated avionics system that includes, among other things, a four-axis AFCS (Automatic Flight Control System) system and four multi-function MFD (multi-function display) displays 8" x 10" LCD.
The engine is based on two Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67C turbines that deliver more than 1,100 hp each and are controlled via EEC (Electronic Engine Control) and a dual system FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control). The helicopter has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 6,400 kg and can reach a speed of 259 km/h at a maximum height of 6,560 meters, the maximum range is over 1,200 km.
The AW 139 in service at the Servizio Aereo of the Guardia Costiera are called AW 139CP (Capitaneria di Porto) and are affectionately called "Nemo", nickname dedicated to the well-known fish of the cartoon Walt Disney/ Pixar.
The first of four helicopters, "Nemo 01", was delivered to the Guardia Costiera on 8 July 2010. The version in use at the 2° Nucleo Aereo is designed mainly for Emergency and Medical Evacuation, the main equipment are:
-Electric winch with a maximum load capacity of 272 kg
-Inflatable boat of emergency
-Research beacon SX-16
-fact sheets
-weather and research radar
-autopilot
-compatibility for NVGs
-Collision avoidance system TCAS I (Bendix King KTA 970)
-FLIR
-Emergency flotation system and external life rafts
-barycentric hook
-radio sea frequency
-satellite communication system
-Optical Proximity lidar System (OPLS) obstacle distance sensor
Currently there are three helicopters in service at the Catania air base, in total there are six complete crews, all formed by two pilots, a winch operator and on-board systems and an rescue swimmer, for off-site missions, also is provided on board also a specialist maintainer of the aircraft.
In all of the above-mentioned crew there are three pilots and two operators with the qualification of instructors, and an rescue swimmer with the function of supervisor.
Remaining within the scope of the instructors it should be remembered that a member of the 2° Nucleo and one of the Luni air base (1a Sezione Volo Elicotteri) also have the qualification to carry out control activities on the staff of the Servizio Aereo during the training activity that takes place regularly at the AgustaWestlend simulator in Cascina Costa, in this context, sessions of four hours each for Chief Pilot and Second to test emergency situations and flight in IFR (Instrumental Flight Rules) in emergency.
All the crews dedicated to the rotary wing line are completing the qualification to use the NVG (Night Vision Goggles) as an aid to night operations.
In addition to the navigating personnel the fleet of AW 139 is managed by a quota of personnel with the task of avionics - fitters - maintainers (10-12 technicians).
As for the operation of the "Nemo" this occurs mainly on the sea, only occasionally on land for air ambulance operations, the specialty of the crews of Nemo are the rescues in favor of shipwrecks or people in difficulty on board boats. Another component that operates on board the AW 139 of the 2° Nucleo Aereo are the doctors of the Corpo Italiano di Soccorso dell'Ordine di Malta (CISOM or Order of Malta’s Italian Relief Corps) 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, provide support to Guardia Costiera crews for rescue missions, medical transport or medical evacuation (MEDEVAC). In the case of a MEDEVAC mission, on the basis of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Health, General Command of the Capitanerie di Porto — Guardia Costiera and CIRM (Centro Internazionale Radio Medico or International Medical Radio Centre), the latter shall be responsible, Obviously having heard the advice of the CISOM doctor on board, to decide which is the most suitable destination for the patient to receive the necessary medical treatment.
The rescue operations in favour of people on ships are the most difficult due to various objective factors, the movement of the boat, the weather conditions, combined perhaps with night operations create a rather critical situation, fortunately, the technology of the AW 139 partly supports the effort of the crews, but is not always able to zero the risk. The recovery of a person from a boat is always done with the use of the winch, entering laterally is lowered the rescue swimmer or basket, in this situation it is the operator to the winch that "manages" the helicopter maneuvers; a specialty acquired by the Americans is that of use instead of the "Try Line", when the ship remains in the vertical of the helicopter and therefore is not visible, a special rope is lowered which, with the help of a helper on board the boat, keeps it in a visible place, thus allowing the crew to have a reference point.
AW 139 is capable of carrying a maximum of eight shipwrecks at a time during rescue missions. In 2014 several SAR missions were carried out, many in favor of commercial navigation (33), some for illegal immigration (6/7), but the biggest commitment was for the accident of the ferry Norman Atlantic last December where two helicopters AW 139, with three crews, were redeployed to Brindisi for rescue operations, in the four days (28 to 31) of the emergency 34 rescues were carried out with people transported ashore on the airports of Bari and Brindisi.
To close the chapter AW 139 it seems right to mention the news released by AgustaWestland of 6 July 2015 where, it is announced that on that date, in the presence of the General Commander of the Guardia Costiera Felicio Angrisano, of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Delrio and the Chief Executive Officer of AgustaWestland Romiti, were formally accepted three new helicopters AW 139 that will shortly enter into service at the Componente Aerea of the Guardia Costiera, at the same time, a further contract was signed for two more helicopters, bringing the fleet to ten helicopters.

ATR 42MP
The ATR 42-500 is a regional twin-engine airliner, used for passenger transport and designed to carry out the service on medium-short routes, is still being built by an Italian-French consortium, Aérospatiale and Alenia, named Avions de Transport Regional which created the successful family of ATR 42 and 72. The first ATR 42 entered service in August 1984, while the first ATR 42-500 was delivered in October 1995. The 500 series (of the ATR 42) is currently the only version in production, and is characterized by the new PW 127M/E engines with six-blade "saber" type propellers, which allow a higher speed (585km/h) than the 300 version. Other special features are new interior fittings and new technological equipment in the cockpit of piloting.
As for the Guardia Costiera ATRs, the management of the aircraft during patrol missions includes a crew of three pilots, a Captain and two First Officers, this composition allows an alternation of commands in particular for long distances, while the pilot who momentarily does not sit at the controls performs the function of TACCO (Tactical Operator). Then there are the on-board operators who sit at the console of ATOS (Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance), respectively at MOC 1 and 2 (Multifunction Ope-rating Console), and to conclude the vision of the staff on board we find three aeronautical specialists who perform the function of observers, two positioned at the bubble windows, and who, if necessary, also deal with the launch of smoke bombs and airborne rafts, the third specialist, who is also the most senior in degree, also holds the role of cabin manager.
ATOS is a palletized system designed by Selex Galileo and designed to allow a complete and immediate interaction between several sensors and subsystems, the data obtained by the various sensors are processed and transformed into images, they are displayed in real time on the "suite" (MOC 1 and MOC 2) of the operator and recorded if necessary. The sensors that transmit the data to the system are the Electro Optical Sensor Turret (EOST). The EOST is an electro-optical group composed of a Gyro-stabilized platform operating at 360º, a high resolution ATV color camera, a Spotter (Long range camera) monochrome LRTV (distinguishes characters 20 cm high at a distance of 1.5 nautical miles), and from a high resolution infrared camera with five nautical miles, type recognition at two m/n, identification of a target of 2,3 m x 2.3 m at 1.5 m/n. These sensors allow extremely stable images even in the presence of high aircraft turn rates, as well as recognizing, identifying and locating surface targets both day and night, by sensors operating in different bands.
Another essential sensor is the Raytheon SeaVue 2022 Research Radar, through the synthetic aperture antenna is able to cover distances up to 256 nautical miles and to carry out detection of boats very fast and with reduced radar reflection, therefore very suitable for maritime patrol. It can also be used in normal SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) mode to scan the terrestrial orography of the coasts, or in weather mode, and again in ISAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) mode to have a target display in 3D format.
On the ATR, two sea VHF-band radios, a HF-band communication system and a UHF-band one are used for transmissions.
Finally we have a Searchlight with high intensity (between 80 and 100 million candles) positioned in the front right, the lighthouse is adjustable both manually and automatically (via the EOST). Two other important missions that are carried out by the ATR are the transport of organs and the MEDEVAC (MEDical EVACuation).
On the "Manta" operating from the base of Catania are not installed the radar antennas of SLAR (Side Looking Airborne Radar) as this type of equipment is used for Remote Environmental Detection, specific activity that is almost exclusively the responsibility of the 3° Nucleo Aereo di Pescara. Currently the personnel operating on the ATR is composed of five complete crews each of two pilots, one TACCO, two operators to the systems and two specialists with functions of head aircraft, observers and launch managers, the two specialists are also responsible for carrying out pre-flight and post-flight checks as well as "Check Alfa" maintenance activities. In order to guarantee to the personnel who arrive at the 2° Nucleo Aereo the necessary instruction, as well as the maintenance of the necessary qualifications of the personnel already in service, two figures have been identified within the Reparto Volo for each specialty with the qualification of Instructor. They guarantee that the various procedures of "Crew Resource Management", of safety for navigation in both the military and civil field and the procedures of standardization of the crew are maintained to the required standards.
The main function performed by the ATRs of the 2° Nucleo Aereo is maritime patrol and rescue (SAR), the "area" where the crews of Catania are called to carry out their work covers all the Ionian Sea, the island of Malta and goes up to the coasts in front of the Greek island of Crete, with six hours of flight at a speed of 120 knots maybe patrol this entire portion of the Mediterranean. During the patrol, the SeaVue 2022 radar is used, which is able to discover even slightly larger boats than a dinghy at a distance of 256 nautical miles, or by connecting to the AIS (Automatic Identification System) ship traffic control systempractically the same system as the "Transponders" used on aircraft.
The IMO (International Maritime Organization) has rendered obligatory the installation and the use of the AIS on board of all the fleeting ships and those having a advanced tonnage to the 299 tsls, this does not prohibit also to the small boats to have on board the AIS, allowing him to transmit his position or to receive via "marinetraffic.com" the position of the other ships in the area of interest.
Therefore the AIS allows the crews of the ATR to know in real time all the data of the ship, name, flag, type of ship, state in navigation with advanced speed to a knot, route and speed, draught, destination and relative ETA, length and width, instant of receiving data from the ship’s GPS, photographs of the vessel, radio identifier and other many data.
Not sporadic fact that they must face the crews of the ATR 42 of the Guardia Costiera is that to localize coming boats in particular way from Turkey, from Syria and from Crete that carrying out illicit traffics they shut down rightly the AIS.
The ATR during the patrol activity in recent years have allowed to locate more than 7,500 immigrants headed for the Italian coast.
While in the field of rescue (SAR) the ATR has demonstrated over the years its remarkable ability to play the role of on-site coordination as a flying command post to direct rescue operations, having the ability to direct and manage both naval and aircraft that contribute to the operations, in fact during the emergency of the Norman Atlantic were the ATRs of Catania and Pescara to carry out this type of task, operating from Brindisi have coordinated the Italian and foreign vehicles on the scene of the accident.
Before closing the article we give space to the description of the Crest belonging to the Catania Guard Costiera Air Base.
The "Crest", on a wooden base, consists of bronze disc concentric circles and color sectors described as follows: on the left is reproduced in gray color portion of Eastern Sicilia - under the jurisdiction of the Direzione Marittima of Catania.
In correspondence of the geographical place of the city of Catania, is reproduced the symbol of the city, represented by the elephant in lava stone with the obelisk above.
The "Crest" reproduces stylized some infrastructure of the Base; [in particular, are depicted one of the two hangars the building Command and the adjacent building where the Centrale Operativa Controllo Aeromobili is located.
On the right, with the red background of the colors of the logo of the Guardia Costiera, are reproduced the profiles of the four types of aircraft supplied to the Aircraft Component of the Guardia Costiera; in order - from top to bottom:
Piaggio P 166DL3;
• Alenia ATR 42MP;
• Agusta AB 412CP;
Agusta AW 139CP.
In the outer circle of blue color, are shown - in yellow gold - the name of the Command and the headquarters, spaced by two stars symbol of belonging to the Armed Forces.
The disc is topped by the Jack turrito of the Marina Militare with anchor and "wings", symbol of the Naval Aviation.
At the bottom, it reproduces a stylized blue ribbon where the chosen motto (in Latin) stands out in golden yellow: "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA" whose translation reads "NO DAY WITHOUT A META".
The sky and blue backgrounds want to recall to the observer the colors of the sky and the sea of which the wave motion is mentioned.
Being a new Command in the field of FA, the need to equip it with a "Crest" has been evaluated, as is the tradition of all military Commands.
As you can see in the year of realization of the crest (2010) between the aerial means represented does not figure the Piaggio P180 in how much assigned to the dependent flight unit from year 2011.