Italy’s contribution to NATO’s air surveillance and defence mission over Romania came to an official close today, part of the alliance’s broader effort to reinforce its eastern flank.
For nearly two months, the Task Group Air 51st Wing “Black Storm III,” based out of Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, held down Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duty around the clock. In that time, the unit scrambled eight times and logged more than 300 flight hours, alongside joint patrols and training exercises carried out with Romanian forces and other allied contingents.
Air Policing is a NATO collective defence mission carried out continuously in peacetime for member states that lack sufficient fighter capacity to guard their own airspace on their own. This latest rotation marked Italy’s second stint leading the Task Force Air in Romania, following its first deployment in 2023. At the closing ceremony, the contingent was seen off by Lieutenant General Giovanni Maria Iannucci, commander of the Joint Operations Headquarters (COVI).
Starting August 1, Italian air assets will redeploy to Lithuania, taking over NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.
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Source: C4Defence–Italian Ministry of Defence
