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“From 1923 to the present, the men, the planes, the organisation have all changed, but the spirit inspiring and guiding the men and women who don the light blue Air Force uniform has remained the same.”

Telos: One hundred years of history within history. What milestones in your past would you like to recall?

Luca Goretti: From 1923 to the present, the men, the planes, the organisation have all changed, but the spirit inspiring and guiding the men and women who don the light blue Air Force uniform has remained the same. In these 100 years we have operated with the utmost commitment, dedication and passion, always offering our invaluable skills to the community and the Institutions, which is what has made us what we are today: a dynamic Armed Force that is useful to the Country and has a strong propensity for technological innovation.
In my opinion, two salient moments, among the many that characterise our past and orient our future, could be Operation Desert Storm and the delivery of the first F35. The first one dates back to 1990 and marked an important operational evolution.
Forty-five years after World War II, the Italian Armed Forces, unfortunately, were involved in a conflict. Thanks to the use of the Tornado aircraft, the Italian Air Force had to face a new trial by fire with Operation Locusta.
Instead, the second moment marked an evolution in Combat Service Support and of the ‘direct logistic support’ [Ed.'s note to the mobile operating units] when in 2016 the entire Air Force took its first step toward the 5th generation: Thanks to a concerted effort, the first F35 assigned to the Air Force and assembled in the FACO in Cameri undertook an ocean transfer flight to reach the Patuxent River American base in Maryland.
The AL1, the name of that first F35A aircraft, due to the in-flight fuelling capacity offered by our KC767A tanker and the support of aircrafts EFA and C-130J, reached its destination surpassing the previous records set by the US for the longest continuous flight. I had the privilege of being there on 5 February 2016 in Patuxent River to welcome our first F35A with license number 32-01. It was the beginning of an epoch-making challenge.

What are the outlook and the challenges for the next 100 years?

Aircraft development has never stopped. Actually, if we look into the immediate future, there will be a push for 6th generation planes until they dominate aerospace. It is enough to think about the huge steps forward we have taken in recent decades with 4th generation aircraft: first, with the Eurofighters, which are the backbone of our air defence; and then the F35s, omni-role aircraft that ushered us into a new dimension: extremely stealthy, with cutting-edge sensors and long-range capabilities, technological features that allow us to continue our vital contribution to the security and defence of the Country.
Technological challenge is indeed a new reality, created by modern operational scenarios with asymmetrical threats that are in constant flux and no longer limited to a single operative environment.
The future of Air Power will be complex and made up of different systems, piloted and non-piloted, that are perfectly integrated and interconnected. The concept of ‘multidomain’, connectivity and of systems within systems are key points for future aerospace platforms. The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), 6th generation aircraft, along with drones, command and control platforms, satellites and ground stations will be the links in an information chain that will ensure constant analysis and action.
Our vision is to maintain a markedly technological Air Force that is increasingly streamlined, agile, responsive, capable and useful to the Country. We are exploring new technological and scientific horizons and paying greater attention also to the security of and access to space and cyberspace, so we can use enabling technologies that are more and more innovative and that allow us to look to the future, to tomorrow, and be ready to remain relevant in the face of changing risks and threats.

The Arma Azzurra [Blue Troops] has been present in international missions since the sixties and recently has been especially and extraordinarily involved at the margins of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. What tasks and functions are you all engaged in?

Since the early ‘60s, the Air Force has been operating in international missions: from its involvement in Africa under the UN and then with its operations during the Gulf War, in Kuwait, in the Balkans, in Eritrea. After the global turmoil of 2001, our Defence and Air Force have contributed to international security by also operating in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
A past of full of commitment for the benefit of the community and international security. Today we remain committed to this by actively supporting, from the very first day, the defence of the eastern flank of the coalition and by taking part in NATO air-policing operations. In the last two years, we have supported Lithuania, Estonia, Iceland, Poland and Romania.
Just to give you an idea of our 2022 engagement, we did over 170 scrambles to intercept enemy aircraft and logged 550 flight hours between real activities and training. We began 2023 in Romania where our Eurofighters will be stationed at least until the end of the summer, then our work for NATO will continue in Lithuania until the end of the year. Our efforts are constant and continuous with the participation of Air Force women and men of the past, present and future intent on defending the skies of the Alliance.
However, this will not distract us from our future: space. The role of space and our role in it is increasing in terms of political and economic policy and, consequently, some aspects of international and national security and defence. The Air Force is looking with particular interest at the areas between 20 and 100 km in height, the natural continuation of the ‘air space’ it operates in on a daily basis. This area will be made accessible by new technologies and will be the ‘door’ to the transition from air to space domination.

You’ve had a very long career, with a wide range of experiences, in Italy and abroad. And not only military experience. Which of the many do you most fondly remember and why?

Honestly, there is no single episode that comes to mind among all those I’ve experienced. My career has given me great operational and technological satisfaction, but most of all, human satisfaction. I have met special woman and men, in coveralls, head to toe with grease but full of passion for their work. I have had happy moments with my colleagues from Zodiac 3° and the 156th Group: two second families that are still united.
Unfortunately, I have had difficult and even some sad moments recently. But I still find one thing gratifying: the smile of a colleague, whether they are an officer, an underling, a navigator or any other speciality. It fulfils me, motivates me, allows me to look ahead with trust.
Like the smile of a colleague of mine who, crestfallen after his career development didn’t lead to the goals he had hoped for, asked me if he could salute the Air Force War Flag on the day of our 100th birthday in Piazza del Popolo in Rome. Just then, someone walking past saw him in his uniform, patted him on the back and thanked him for what he does. His smile, and the “traditional” tear of emotion in saluting our Tricolour Flag, I’ll never forget it. Right then, I was glad I could offer him an unforgettable opportunity.

Marco Sonsini