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The Sky Sailors celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the 5th Helicopter Group

On October 30, 2009, at MariStaEli Luni Helicopter Base (La Spezia), an official ceremony was held to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Italian Navy's 5th Helicopter Group. The ceremony, led by Admiral Binelli Mantelli, Fleet Commander in Chief, was attended by civil, military and industrial representatives. Significant numbers of former Group personnel were also present.

The following day, a successful open day was also held at MariStaEli Luni. A comprehensive inventory of the aircraft in service with the Italian Navy was lined up on the apron of the base. Besides the helicopter types used by the two Luni Flight Units - 5th Group's Agusta/Bell AB 212's and 1st Group's AgustaWestland EH 101's - other exhibits included a Boeing TAV-8B Harrier II multirole fighter of GrupAer (Gruppo Aeromobili Imbarcati), an Agusta/Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King from the Grottaglie-based 4th Helicopter Group, an Agusta/Bell AB 412 from the Italian Coast Guard and other vehicles and equipment of the "Comando Incursori della Marina" based at Varignano, not far from La Spezia. The latest evolutionof the rotary wing was represented by one of the new Italian Army Aviation NH 90 TTH and an NH 90 NFH of the Dutch Navy.

A very interesting historic/technical exhibition was set up in a large hangar, illustrating the 5th Group’s past and present. The exhibits included a number of historic helicopters, special vehicles, main anti-ship and anti-som weapon mock-ups, ship models and a display representing a helicopter maintenance workshop.

The 5 th Helicopter Group was established in 1969, not many years after the revival of the Italian Naval Aviation arm in 1956. The new service inherited the tradition of the "Servizio Aeronautico della Marina" during the Great War and of the "Forza Aerea della Regia Marina" during WW2.

During the Nineteen Fifties and Sixties, the Italian Navy - due to its lack of aircraft carriers - was a forerunner of the ship-helicopter operations. The contemporary and innovative "Naval Programme" included the new "Doria", "Impavido" and "Bergamini" class warships, all fitted with small, purpose-built flight-deck and a self-sustained Shipborne Helicopter Nucleus.

As one of the backbones of the Italian Navy's Aviation component at the La Spezia Naval Base, the 5th Helicopter Group is also the Unit responsible for the development of new aircraft destined to enter service with the Italian Navy. The Group was responsible for the acceptance of the current AB 212ASW aircraft, and it is now driving to service status the new NH 90 NFH which is destined to replace, in due course, the AB 212ASW. The 5th Helicopter Group will be the first unit to employ the new helicopter, with the task of bringing it to Full Operational Capability level.

From its establishment, the men and helicopters of the 5th Group have been engaged in all the Italian Navy's operations, in national and international waters, and in relief missions to civil populations after natural disasters.

It is worth mentioning that the 40th Anniversary of the 5th Group coincides with the 100th Anniversary of the first flight of "Sottotenente di Vascello" Mario Calderara, Naval Officer, holder of “Italian Pilot’s Licence - N° 1”.

In the picture: Agusta/Bell AB 212ASW 7-33 (MM81078) of Italian Navy 5th Helicopter Group, at MariStaEli Luni on October 30, 2009, wearing the special badge for the 40th Anniversary of the unit. This helicopter has been reconfigured to transport role. (Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, October 2009)