4th Army Aviation Support Regiment "Scorpione"
The 4th Army Aviation Support Regiment "Scorpione" (Italian: 4° Reggimento Sostegno Aviazione dell'Esercito "Scorpione") is an active unit of the Italian Army based at Viterbo Airport near Rome in Lazio. The regiment is part of the Italian army's army aviation,and is operationally assigned to the Army Aviation Support Command.[1] The regiment provides 2nd-line maintenance, upgrade and test services for the CH-47F "Chinook" helicopters, Shadow 200 drones, and P180 Avanti II and Dornier 228 planes of the 1st Army Aviation Regiment "Antares", and to the army's flight simulators.[2]
4th Army Aviation Support Regiment "Scorpione" | |
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4° Reggimento Sostegno Aviazione dell'Esercito "Scorpione" | |
Regimental coat of arms | |
Active | 1 September 1996 - today |
Country | Italy |
Branch | Italian Army |
Part of | Army Aviation Support Command |
Garrison/HQ | Viterbo Airport |
Motto(s) | "Res non verba" |
Anniversaries | 10 May 1953 - Founding of the Italian Army Aviation |
Insignia | |
Army Aviation gorget patches |
History
The regiment was formed on 1 September 1996 by elevating the existing 4th Army Aviation Repairs Unit to regiment without changing the unit's size or composition. The unit traces its roots back to the 4th Light Army Aviation Repairs Unit, which was raised on 15 June 1976 to support the newly arriving CH-47C "Chinook" helicopters. The unit was granted a war flag by the President of the Italian Republic on 12 December 1989 and on 2 June 1993 it dropped "Light" from its name. Since 2012 the regiment is part of the Army Aviation Support Command.[2][3]
Naming
Since the 1975 army reform Italian army aviation units are named for celestial objects:[4] support regiments are numbered with a single digit and named for one of the 88 modern constellations.[4] As in 1996 the 4th Army Aviation Repairs Unit was supporting the 1st Army Aviation Regiment "Antares", which was named for Antares, the brightest star in the Scorpius (Italian: Scorpione) constellation, the army decided to name the new 4th Army Aviation Support Regiment "Scorpione" to affirm the two regiments' relationship.
As the regiment was founded in the city of Viterbo the regiment's coats of arms first quarter depicts Viterbo's coat of arms.
Current Structure
As of 2019 the 4th Army Aviation Support Regiment "Scorpione" consists of:[5]
- 4th Army Aviation Support Regiment "Scorpione", at Viterbo Airport
- Headquarters Unit
- Command and Logistic Support Squadron
- Maintenance Unit
- 1st Repair Squadron
- 2nd Repair Squadron
- 3rd Repair Squadron
- Technical and Test Section
- Air-materiel Supply Section
- External Work Section
- Flight Squadron (AB206 helicopters)
See also
References
- "4° Reggimento Sostegno Aviazione dell'Esercito "Scorpione"". Italian Army. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- "4° Reggimento Sostegno Aviazione dell'Esercito "Scorpione" - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- "Reparti Aves". Associazione Nazionale Aviazione Esercito. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- Cerbo, Giovanni (1996). L'Aviazione dell'Esercito - Dalle origini ai giorni nostri. Rome: Rivista Militare. p. 128. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- "4° Reggimento Sostegno Aviazione dell'Esercito "Scorpione"". Ministero della Difesa. Retrieved 1 December 2019.