English translation

The Sezione Aerea (Air Section) of Cagliari Elmas was established on 20 October 1967. Thanks to the position in "front line" of the Sardegna chief town in the heart of the Mediterranean, the unit is immediately engaged in the contrast to the illicit traffics via sea coming from the strait of Gibraltar, the Balearic Islands and the North African countries. The Sezione Aerea is placed under the Legione (Legion) Sardegna and entrusted as first command to Lieutenant Pilot Pietro Sgarlata (later became Commander in Second of the Guardia di Finanza - Italian Custom Police).
The first helicopter assigned to the new unit was an Agusta Bell AB 47J3 "Jota" "Volpe - Fox 35", delivered the following day with a short transfer from Decimomannu air base to Elmas headquarters.
In 1973, the first NH 500MC was awarded. With the arrival of the Agusta A 109AII in 1991, the unit was able to carry out its institutional tasks with ever greater skill and effectiveness. The latest model of helicopter supplied to the Cagliari Sezione is the AB 412, arrived in 2006 is still in service.
To close the historical part it is necessary to remember the "loss" of A 109AII "Volpe 132" occurred on March 2, 1994 with the death of Marshal Gianfranco Deriu and Brigadier Fabrizio Sedda.
The Sezione Aerea is located in the municipality of Elmas and is located in the former Distaccamento Aeroportuale (Detachment) of the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) "Mario Mameli", located west of the civil airport.
The complex consists of a building on two levels, where are located the Guard Corps, a briefing room, the various offices of the Nucleo Operativo (Operations Unit) and the Squadra Comando (Command Team); a few meters away there is instead the hangar, where all the helicopters can be hospitalized, and where you can perform all the maintenance operations. In a portion of the hangar are instead space the Magazzino Speciale Aeronautico (MSA or Special Aeronautical Warehouse), the workshops and the offices of the Nucleo Efficienza (Engineering Nucleus). The apron in front of the hangar can accommodate two helicopters simultaneously and has recently been expanded to receive an ATR 42 aircraft.
The barracks is named after Marshal Marco Perra (presumably named on September 1, 1977), Pilot grew up in the Sezione Aerea of Cagliari and died due to an accident during a technical flight in the waters of the Gulf of Genova on 5 August 1977 while aboard the helicopter NH 500MC "Volpe 66" the Brigadier Giulio Perrone was killed in the accident.
Perra was born in Iglesias (Cagliari) on 5 December 1928. He enlisted in the Corps in 1951, attended the helicopter scouting course in 1958, and then, pilot by a passion for flying, as a helicopter pilot in 1961. In 1968 he was assigned to the Sezione Aerea of Cagliari where he spent, on several occasions, much of his career. Later transferred to the Sezione Aerea of Genova he was involved in the dramatic accident.
The recent history of the unit has seen in a short time the radical transformations, since 2006, in a phase of revisiting the aviation sector of the Guardia di Finanza, the unit changes its hierarchical dependence passing from the Comando Regionale Sardegna (Regional Command) to the Comando Operativo Aeronavale (COAN or Naval Operational Command) assuming the name of Sezione Aerea di Manovra (Air Section Maneuver); consequently, it is equipped with AB 412HP helicopters, the twin engine produced by Agusta Bell is equipped with the most efficient research sensors and a better range that allow it to perform the best wide-range reconnaissance.
The constitution of the Sezione Aerea di Manovra is the result of the enactment of Legislative Decree n 68 of 2001, which took into account the following transformations:
- evolution of the Mediterranean operational scenario
- establishment of the Frontex agency
As well as internal needs of the General Command such as:
- the need to enhance the professionalism of staff
- optimising the use of financial resources
To ensure the performance of the operational activity, the Sezione Aerea di Manovra is equipped with three AB 412HP helicopters and two NH 500MC/ MD.
During 2010 the unit was equipped with personnel with the qualification of "aerosoccorritore - rescue swimmer", the first and only units of the Corps to have available specialists for rescue activities both at sea and on land.
Below we see a couple of aspects that outline the peculiarities of an Sezione Aerea di Manovra compared to a simple Sezione Aerea.
- The first difference is underlined in the ability of helicopters (AB 412), and of course of crews, to carry out long-distance sea patrols, covering areas that go far beyond the national borders enshrined in international law. These wide-range operations are always carried out in support of the boats supplied to the offshore naval units, this new condition has become available by inserting on board the "412" two additional tanks, placed in the rear of the cargo compartment, which allow a significant increase in autonomy.
- The second peculiarity of an Sezione Aerea di Manovra is to have a technical and operational structure that can guarantee, at the request of the General Command and with a minimum of notice, the implementation of off-site operations, using both aircraft and unit personnel. An example of current events very exhaustive is that of the operations carried out by the Guardia di Finanza on the island of Lampedusa, where more Sezione Aerea di Manovra, for correctness it must be said that a portion of staff of the normal Sezione Aerea is also involved, contribute to carrying out missions to control illegal immigration, operations made necessary by the recent crises in the countries of North Africa bordering the Mediterranean. In summary it can be clearly stated that these types of missions are achievable thanks to the flexibility of the Sezione Aerea di Manovra, putting in place a device of fully operational means and crews when required, and factor of no little account, without compromising routine institutional activities on its own basis.
Following the order revision of the Servizio Aereo (Air Service) section of the Guardia di Finanza in 2014, the department is functionally assigned to the Reparto Operativo AeroNavale (ROAN or Naval Operations Department) of Cagliari, and reclassified in Sezione Aerea, at the same time is deprived of the tasks of search and rescue and its competent articulation.
Obviously this "new" situation has been created in a context of continuous cuts in the budgets of the various armed forces and police, making sure that these operational capabilities must be reviewed and reorganized.
Logical now to highlight what are the peculiarities of the current organization within the Sezione Aerea of Cagliari-Elmas.
The structure of the unit is in line with those present on the national territory, the only slight difference is a lower availability in terms of staff and helicopters. The current Sezione Aerea Commander is Maj. pil. Luigi Fusco has three distinct structures, one operational, one technical and one administrative.
In detail we have: an Nucleo Operativo, governed by Capt.pil. Adriano Trane, that it comprises an aliquot of five pilots and five operators to the systems, while the Nucleo Efficienza, governed from the Lgt. Giuliano Giancarlo specialist, has 10 specialists and three fire operators; finally, we have the Squadra Comando that has eight military, some with administrative duties, others form the Guard Corps.
With regard to helicopter equipment, the Sezione Aerea has on the "card" three AB 412H and an NH 500MD.
The 35 military that make up the unit, including the commander, over the years have all contributed in their own right to perform the tasks given by the Comando Generale.
We now see the territorial area in which the unit operates, the operating areas with a high danger index coincide with the waters in front of the southern coast of Sardegna and the Strait of Bonifacio located north of the island. Criminal organisations engaged in illicit trafficking (illegal immigration, terrorism, and other illegal activities, etc.) often, in view of Sardegna’s proximity to the coasts of North Africa (Tunisia in particular) overlooking the Mediterranean, also due to the lack of adequate coastal and maritime surveillance services in place by African States, using vessels, fishing boats, speedboats, high-speed dinghies, use these logistic and departure bases to reach the Sardegna and/or national coasts. Of importance moreover the anti-counterfeiting activity, seen the intense commercial marine traffic, present in the aerial of competence, above all of the already named zones in proximity of the Channel of Sardegna and the Mouths of Bonifacio, of relief is also the terrorist threat by sea.
Now let’s see what are the operational results achieved in recent years.
In 2010, about 602 hours of flight were produced, of which about 370 in operational activities, more than 165 in training activities, while the remaining are located in areas of rescue operations, test flights and various; in 2011 (August included) we find a total of 679 hours produced with the same percentages per type as for the previous year, therefore perfectly in line with those estimates. To follow we find 2012 with 594 hours of flight produced, 2013 with 520 hours, 2014 with 330 hours and 2015 with "only" 137 hours.
In the three years leading to the present day is perceptible a decline in operational/training activities due to some technical problems detected on some helicopters of the Servizio Aereo, in particular on the AB 412 twin-engine, essential backbone of the unit of Cagliari is "passed away" in 2015-2016. Despite this "gap" the unit has managed to ensure essential services, and with the imminent return to service of the "412" efficiency will return already in 2017 to normal operating standards.
The guarantor of the operational activities of the Sezione Aerea is the Nucleo Efficienza, it carries out maintenance activities of 1° Technical Level on both lines (AB 412 and NH 500), which results in the inspection of 25/50/75/100 flight hours. For the interventions of 2° Level is programmed that to failure, intervenes a technician from the Reparto Tecnico Logistico Aereo (ReTLA or Department Technical Logistic Aerial), former Centro di Aviazione (Center Aviation) of Pratica di Mare.
Always remaining in the orbit of collaborations, until 2008 at the Barracks of Elmas there was a technician of AgustaWestland, for budgetary reasons this condition has been abolished and at the same time the Nucleo Efficienza specialists have greatly increased their autonomy, also carrying out work on: 90 degree box, oscillating plate and rotor balance. In addition, in case of malfunction or scheduled maintenance on the radar and the FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) these are disembarked by the same personnel and sent to the ReTLA, obviously this activity also implies the reinstallation of the helicopter on board.
One curious fact that involves the maintenance aspects is the permanence of the helicopters at the unit, as for the AB 412 are replaced with a different one upon reaching the 1,200 hours of flight, while for the NH 500 only after the 300 hours of flight, It is easy to understand that the long stay of the twin-engine implies a greater knowledge of the medium by specialists.
So far we have seen some statistical elements, but what is perhaps more interesting to the reader is to know what are the results of these activities, so to satisfy the curiosity we go to list the most significant operations carried out since 2009 to date.
I would immediately leave with the operations carried out on the island of Lampedusa by the men of the Sezione Aerea that, in 2010 (then Manuevering), during one of the normal "routine" deployed was carried out a difficult search and rescue mission, where for the occasion 22 people were saved and a lifeless body recovered.
This very important activity, carried out in a very complex context, has earned the unit a prestigious recognition, in fact, the Comando Operativo AeroNavale granted on 7 October 2010 a solemn commendation to the crew involved.
In July 2011, in a similar context, a crew after sighting two shipwrecks at sea, following the sinking of the vessel on which they were embarked, has provided their recovery, also for this very important activity carried out in a very difficult context, It has earned to the unit an ulterior prestigious acknowledgment, always the COAN has granted in date 31 July 2011 a simple encomio to the crew.
We move from air rescue to a service of Controllo Economico del Territorio (CE.Te or Economic Control of the Territory), in May 2013 the Sezione Aerea di Manovra closed the investigation on a tour of planes on which has never been paid VAT, the activity ended with the seizure of some aircraft by the Guardia di Finanza. A fictitious triangulation between the United States-Denmark-Italy aimed at trying to defraud the tax and not pay VAT on private jets is the focal point of the investigation conducted by the Guardia di Finanza on the orders of the deputy prosecutor.
Investigation that led to the seizure of nine planes and ended up in the register of suspected eleven entrepreneurs, including a well-known publisher of Northern Italy, the charges charged are those of tax fraud and smuggling. The investigation was initiated a year earlier after a normal check was carried out on some aircraft arriving from the United States and parked at Cagliari-Elmas International Airport. The subsequent checks made it possible to discover tax fraud, in particular according to the results of the investigation of the financiers planes, almost all SR22 of Cirrus Aircraft and a five-seat Piper, would be purchased by a fictitious intermediary in the USA; the aircraft would then be routed through Denmark, a European country that has a particularly favorable regime for the payment of VAT, and then redirect them to Italy available to entrepreneurs who used them. The concrete proof of the final destination of the aircraft was the insurance policies that the suspects would have taken out for the aircraft. A few days later the seizure took place, requested by the replaced prosecutor and carried out in the various Italian airports by the Guardia di Finanza. The total value of the seized aircraft is just over four and a half million Euro, while the VAT unduly subtracted from the State would be close to one million Euro.
From an economic control of the territory to the environmental control of the same territory both on land and on the sea.
An extremely significant episode dates back to November 2014 when the operation "Hydra" was concluded, named after the monster of Greek mythology, but also acronym of "identify, denounce, restore and admonish".
The Cagliari-Elmas Sezione Aerea identifies illegal landfills in Cagliari, Assemini, Maracalagonis, Alghero, Sassari and Sulcis. Tons of waste and pollutants dispersed mostly underground on an area of 33 thousand square meters, equal to five football fields, the result of years of neglect and criminal trafficking large and small that guarantee huge profits. The discovery of eternit slabs, building waste, tar, fiberglass, polystyrene, electrical and hydraulic equipment, rusted appliances, tires, fiberglass, expired drugs, empty gas cylinders, lead-exhausted batteries, containers with paint residues, polyester panels and license plates. The investigation ended with the complaint of five people and the seizure of a shed in Viale Elmas in Cagliari, two containers and sixteen car carcasses, already stuffed in deep holes dug on agricultural land where organic vegetables were grown. In addition to the criminal complaints, very high administrative penalties have been issued at the same time. In some cases, as in Assemini, the illegal dump was born without the knowledge of the owners, who discovered only thanks to the investigation what was happening in their land between the town and Carlo Felice. In addition to the Stazione Navale (Naval Station) of Cagliari, the operation involved the men of the Sezioni of Alghero, Arbatax, La Maddalena and Sant'Antioco. The checks also concerned authorised landfills, with the aim of verifying their correct management. And also on this front irregularities have emerged; in particular, in two cases, the so-called "ecotax" relating to the years 2010 to 2013 for a total of one hundred thousand Euro was found not to be paid.
The investigation activities, thanks to the important contribution of the helicopters of the Sezione Aerea have continued to identify all the parties involved. In particular, it has been tried to identify who and by what means has transported the waste in illegal landfills but especially the origin of the material, also because the suspicion is that to operate are real organized criminal networks, whose "business" the main objective is to save on disposal costs, thereby securing huge revenues and causing a distortion of competition and market rules, since honest entrepreneurs pay for the correct waste disposal cycle, while the dishonest benefit unduly from illegal disposal, saving huge resources and causing devastation of the territory. The seized areas are restored at the expense of the violators and their owners, under the constant monitoring of the men of the Guardia di Finanza.
Environmental protection is also carried out with the control of illegal building on land, in synergy with the Agenzia del demanio (State Property Agency); with the control of the coasts, in particular towards the bathing establishments, the restaurants and the "diving centers". While there are constant controls to protect the marine environment on illegal fishing, the use of trawls, fishing for dates and even the use of robots to remove coral from the seabed, all elements that have disastrous consequences on the ecosystem, in several cases the products that have been seized are donated to charities such as Caritas. In parallel with the environmental monitoring in the above cases, investigations are carried out into possible undeclared work, especially on fishing vessels and bathing establishments.
From tax evasion to a much bigger problem for the community, drugs.
The channel of Sardegna and the channel of Sicilia have always been the subject of attention by the air-naval units of the Guardia di Finanza because of the continuous passage of ships that every day come from Africa with destination the major ports of the Mediterranean, And not only that, we will see that the drug trade also comes from the Strait of Gibraltar.
As in 2009 on the sailing ship La Linnet, "intercepted" off Capo Caccia were found 250 kilos of pure cocaine.
However, 2014 was definitely a record year considering the amount of drugs found and seized, as many as 16 tons of hascish for a value of one hundred and thirty million Euros, as well as the arrest of 12 drug traffickers. the financiers of the Gruppo Aeronavale of Cagliari have participated to two maxi operations in the international waters using ships and helicopters, that they have carried to the discovery on two distinct ships of the huge quantity; in this case the narcotics were surely directed to a foreign market, in many other cases it has been ascertained that the transits in the channel of Sardegna are directed also to the Italian and Sardegna market.
Also 2015 has reserved to the men and women of the air and naval service of the excellent results, this time not on ships in transit but with the discovery of cultivations directly on the territory of the Sardegna. In two separate plantations were found a total of 292 plants of Indian hemp, which once processed becomes marijuana, if placed on the market would have yielded more than two hundred thousand Euro. The areas affected by the discoveries were Guspini (sub-region of Monreale) and Siurgus Donigala (sub-region of Trexenta) both in the south of Sardegna.
The sighting was made possible thanks to aerial reconnaissance carried out by the crews of the Sezione Aerea, as the crops were in hilly areas practically inaccessible due to the vegetation of Mediterranean scrub, and protected in turn by barbed wire and a sophisticated video surveillance system, powered by photovoltaic panels that also guaranteed the power supply to an equally sophisticated drip irrigation system.
Faced with the discovery was asked immediately the participation of the men of the Stazione Navale of Cagliari, the Compagnia of Oristano and the Tenenza of Sanluri to carry out a ground inspection.
The plants were grubbed up and confiscated for later destruction, and an investigation was set up to find out who was treating the plantations.
The last operation that led to the discovery of an Indian hemp plantation dates back to July 26, 2016. Thanks to aerial reconnaissance it was possible to identify in the countryside of the Municipality of Teulada, in the locality "Terra Nieddas", a cultivation cleverly hidden inside a large ditch covered by dense vegetation. The immediate intervention of the personnel of the Sezione Aerea with the support of personnel of the Tenenza of Sarroch led to the seizure of 18 plants, now close to drying and subsequent processing for the placing on the market of the store.
The last chapter we are dealing with, not for the slightest reason, but because of its dramatic topicality, is that of illegal immigration.
Sardegna is certainly not on top of the places where the phenomenon has dramatic implications, but it is in a context where the problem is constantly increasing.
The historical period with a greater influx of illegal immigrants was the years 2006/2007/2008, with order 182, 1,548 and 1,621 landings, the most dangerous landing points are between Sant'Antioco and Santa Margherita di Pula, even if they change from time to time according to weather conditions and visibility.
Notoriously, who directs the boat once reached a few nautical miles from the coast, being the same visible to the naked eye, always tends to direct the boat to the nearest place, where to land, going to greatly reduce the duration of navigation.
Statistics instead say that reasonably is Annaba the starting point, Annaba is a coastal city in north-eastern Algeria, not far from the border with Tunisia.
After the years of greatest influx in 2006 and 2007, many years of apparent calm have passed, reaching the present day we can still see that the years 2014 and 2015 have been decidedly quiet (respectively 100 and 210 landings), the year just ended with 860 landings marks a decidedly different trend, and above all in line with the situation of the rest of Italy.
After having "x-rayed" all the aspects of the Cagliari-Elmas Sezione Aerea, we see briefly how the higher body defined in the ROAN of Cagliari is structured.
The Reparto Operativo Aeronavale of Cagliari, similar to the other ROAN present on the entire national territory (with the exception of the regions Aosta Valley, Piemonte, Trentino Alto Adige, Umbria and Basilicata), represents the fundamental liaison of the chain of command and control of the aero-naval device of the Comando Regionale Sardegna. In particular, the ROAN based in the capital of the Region is one of the Commands of 3^rd level (organically directed by an officer with the rank of Colonel). Inside it is structured on a Command Office (to which a Superior Officer is in charge) on which two articulations that carry out activities concerning the general affairs and those of operative character depend.
As a rule, a Naval Department (called the Stazione Navale, which includes one or more Sezioni Operative Navali) and a Flight Department (called the Sezione Aerea), through which, through the use of all the means of the coastal device, it carries out a constant and capillary action of control on the territory, on the territorial sea and contiguous area and in the internal waters; In this regard, many services are carried out in close synergy with the Component of Projection (Alturiera) in contrast to illicit trafficking by sea.
In particular, the C.D. regional component is assigned, as a priority, tasks of:
d. economic and financial policing in inland waters, territorial sea and adjacent waters and in ports and along coastlines;
e. Aero-naval coverage and support to the operations of the territorial units of the Corps and other specialized components;
f. monitoring of the territorial sea and of the contiguous, river and lake waters, with particular regard to combating illicit trafficking, protecting public order and safety at sea, the environment, public property and the artistic heritage, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection will be voting in favour.

With Legislative Decree No. 177 dated 19 August 2016, from 1 January of this year the Guardia di Finanza has become the only Police Force on the sea able to guarantee, in addition to its institutional tasks related to the multiple activities of financial economic policing and combating illicit trafficking, the implementation of the directives of the Public Security Authorities for the protection of the Order and Public Security at Sea.
Draft of new and important functions that have been delegated to the naval section of the Corps (for the activities carried out on the sea also to that aerial) that, with particular reference to that operating in the Sardegna Region, it will see it increasingly engaged in the surveillance of a vast coastline consisting of 2,000 km of coastline against which is already carried out a careful activity aimed at safeguarding and protecting the delicate marine environmental ecosystem.
Moreover, among the many services carried out by the ROAN of Cagliari to combat illicit trafficking, there are those that affect in particular the phenomenon of illegal immigrants from the coasts of North Africa. These are activities that regularly see the employment of men and women of the regional naval sector engaged in facing the arrival of immigrants' boats that, aboard dilapidated boats, try to reach the coast of south-western Sardegna. In this regard it is necessary to remember the numerous rescue operations in which the main protagonists were the crews of the different types of naval units and helicopters of the Corps that, thanks to the high professionalism and spirit of self-denial, on several occasions (even in the presence of often prohibitive weather and sea conditions) have snatched many human lives from the fury of the waves.