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Italian Experimental Flight Regiment

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Experimental Flight Regiment
Reparto Sperimentale di Volo
Reparto Sperimentale di Volo insignia
Active15 October 1948 - present
Country Italy
BranchAir Force
RoleFlight Test
SizeRegiment
HeadquartersPratica di Mare Air Base,
Pomezia, Rome, Italy
DecorationsSilver Medal of Aeronautic Valor
Commanders
ColonelloMorgan Lovisa[1]

The Italian Experimental Flight Regiment (Reparto Sperimentale di Volo) is a unit of the Italian Air Force responsible for flight tests and ground test of all airplanes and the related material that the Air Force owns or plans to acquire. Part of the Division of Aeronautical and Space Experimentation (Divisione Aerea di Sperimentazione Aeronautica e Spaziale - DASAS), under the Air Force Logistic Command.[2]

History

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The regiment was founded in 1948 as the Experimental Flight Unit (Nucleo Sperimentale Volo) and was renamed in 1949 as the Experimental Flight Regiment. It inherited purpose and materials from the Directorate of Studies and Experiences (Direzione Superiore Studi ed Esperienze - DSSE) of the Royal Italian Air Force that was destroyed during World War II. The regiment operated from Guidonia Air Base, the same as the DSSE.
In 1956, the regiment was split into the 311th Flight Squadron (311º Gruppo Volo) and the Technical Group (Gruppo Tecnico). The next year, it was moved to the Pratica di Mare Air Base as longer runways were needed.
During the development of the Panavia Tornado, the regiment was expanded further, and in 1983, the Software Management Group (Gruppo Gestione Software) was established.
The Flight Test Center (Centro Sperimentale di Volo) was established in 1999 to unify all research and testing departments of the Italian Air Force, with the Experimental Flight Regiment becoming its main regiment.[3]
To expand the reach of the Italian Air Force beyond 100 km altitude, in 2014 the Aerospace Engineering Group (Gruppo Ingegneria per L’Aero-Spazio) was established under the command of the Experimental Flight Regiment as an armed forces start-up with a strong technological vocation.[4]
The newest component of the regiment, the Armament and Countermeasures Group (Gruppo Armamento e Contromisure) was established in 2017 to test aircraft's self-defense systems.
In 2021, the Flight Test Center was reorganized in the Division of Aeronautical and Space Experimentation, and the Experimental Flight Regiment has been operating under it since.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Mangiacarpe, Anna (15 November 2023). "Cambio Comando: Avvicendamento al Comando del Reparto Sperimentale di Volo" [Change of Command: Change in Head of the Experimental Flight Regiment] (Press release) (in Italian). Pratica di Mare: Reparto Sperimentale di Volo. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  2. ^ Renna, Mario (2018). "RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY, THE EXPERIMENTAL FLIGHT CENTRE" (PDF). Il Periodico N° 5/2018. Informazioni Della Difesa. pp. 18–25. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  3. ^ French, Ian (25 August 2023). "Reparto Sperimentale di Volo (RSV)". Aviation Press. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Nasce il Gruppo Ingegneria per l'Aereo-Spazio" [The Aereospace Engineering Group is born] (Press release) (in Italian). Ufficio Generale per la Comunicazione. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  5. ^ Calabro, Ennio (8 March 2021). "Nasce la Divisione Aerea di Sperimentazione Aeronautica e Spaziale" [The Division of Aeronautical and Space Experimentation is born] (Press release) (in Italian). Pratica di Mare: DASAS. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
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