Technicians and pilots from all the Italian Air Force’s ‘Eurofighter‘ units are training at the 36th Fighter Wing in Gioia del Colle, in the province of Bari, as part of the annual exercise ‘Typhoon Flag 2024’, taking place from March 11th to 29th.
Specifically, at the military airport in Bari, “a contingent of personnel and aircraft from various Air Force units equipped with the F2000 aircraft (4th Wing in Grosseto, 37th Wing in Trapani, and 51st Wing in Istrana)” have been deployed. This activity, based at the airport in Apulia, will also serve in preparation for the ‘Red Flag’ exercise scheduled in Alaska in the coming months of April and May. “The ‘Typhoon Flag’ represents a valuable opportunity to consolidate the operational tactics of the entire ‘Eurofighter Community’, enhancing cooperation and sharing among the personnel and assets with which the Armed Force ensures the defense of national and NATO airspace, 365 days a year, continuously.”
Flight activities take place from Monday to Friday mainly during the day, with the aim of minimizing the impact on the neighboring territories. However, the Italian Air Force has specified that nocturnal flight sorties are not excluded. The operating areas will include a portion of the Tyrrhenian Sea east of Sardinia and some areas of the Ionian Sea and the corresponding Calabrian coasts, closer to the Gioia del Colle base.
Tracking the movements of Typhoon aircraft is not possible, but it’s feasible to monitor the activity of other assets participating in the training activity such as this Gulfstream E.550 CAEW (registration MM62293) which this morning orbited extensively over Apulia and is deployed to Gioia del Colle AB for the duration of the exercise.