Amendola Air Base

Amendola Air Base
Part ofItalian Air Force Aeronautica Militare
Province of Foggia,Italy
Alenia/Aermacchi/Embraer AMX at Amendola Air Base
Amendola Air Base Location of Amendola Air Base, Italy
Coordinates	41°32′29″N015°43′05″E
Type	Military airfield
Site information
Controlled by	Italian Air Force
Site history
Built	1941
In use	1941–1945; 1947–present
Battles/wars	World War II

Airfield information
IATA:none ICAO:LIBA
Summary
ElevationAMSL	182 ft / 55.5 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 11/29 8,727 2,660 Asphalt

Amendola Air Base(ICAO: LIBA) is a military airfield of the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare). It is the home of32nd Wing.

Overview

Amendola Air Base was primarily a training base for pilots of theAMX InternationalAMXground attack aircraft and the main base for Italian Air Force AMX pilots. It is now the main base for the ItalianF-35 Lightingprogram.

The 28th Group operates the training centre for Italian Air ForceMQ-1C PredatorandMQ-9A ReaperUAVs. The 632d Squadron provides connections through the aircraft supplied (MB339) training, flight personnel under the 28th Group in order to ensure adequate training level on traditional piloted aircraft.

Aircraft assigned to Amendola Air Base include the following:

• 13º Gruppo FBA (13th Fighter-Bomber Squadron) operating Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs
• 28º Gruppo UAV (28th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron) operating 5 × RQ-1A Predator
• 432º Gruppo STO (432nd Technical Support Squadron)
• 532º Gruppo SLO (532nd Logistic Support Squadron)
• 932º Gruppo Efficienza Aeromobili (932nd (F-35A Lightning II) Maintenance Squadron)
• 632ª Squadriglia Collegamenti (632nd SAR and Communication Flight)

Amendola was also used operationally byNATOforces in 2011 as part ofOperation Odyssey DawnandOperation Unified Protector.

History

World War II

Amendola Airfieldwas a pre-war Royal Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) facility, built about 1931. With the surrender of Italy to theAllieson 3 September 1943, the GermanLuftwaffequickly seized control of the airfield upon hearing of Italy's capitulation, and briefly used it as a combat airfield. However, Allied forces seized control of the Tavoliere plain in late September/October and occupied the airfield.

Amendola Airfield in 1945

TheUnited States Army Corps of Engineerseventually rebuilt the facility into a heavy bomber-capable airfield, to be used by bomber groups assigned toUSAAFFifteenth Air Force.It had two 6,000' x 100' runways laid overpierced steel planking,oriented 11/29. There were two perimeter tracks, and several other loop taxiways each containing about 100 aircraft parking hardstands, both of the double loop for bombers and single frying pan type for fighters. There may have been some temporary hangars and buildings; however, most personnel were quartered primarily in tents, and most aircraft maintenance took place in the open on hardstands. It also had a steel control tower.

Operationally, Amendola became one of the largest USAAF airfields in Italy. Its first use was by theTwelfth Air Force57th Fighter Group,which operated threeP-40 Warhawkfighter-bomber squadrons from 27 October 1943. A second Twelfth Air Force Group, the321st Bombardment Groupmoved in on 20 November 1943 with fourB-25 Mitchellsquadrons.

In December 1943, Amendola was transferred toFifteenth Air Force,which stationed twoB-17 Flying Fortressheavy bombardment Groups. The 321st BG moved out to Vincenzo Airfield and the 57th FG to Cercola Airfield by March 1944. Once the airfield was vacant by 12th AF the2d Bombardment Groupand97th Bombardment Groupmoved in from bases in Tunisia.

After being part of the Army of Occupation in Italy after the war, the 2nd Bombardment Group moved toFoggia Airfieldin November 1945; the 97th moved toMarcianise Airfieldin October, and by the end of 1945, the Americans had placed the airfield into an inactive status.

Italian Air Force

On 1 February 1947 the vacant Amendola Airfield was turned over to the newAeronautica Militare.The runway was lengthened for jet aircraft use, and its main mission was to train jet pilots on thede Havilland VampireDH.113 andLockheed T-33 Shooting Star.In 1953, night fighter training commenced with the de Havilland DH.113s.

TheFiat G.91arrived in 1954 which was used for almost 30 years for advanced pilot training.

Not only training squadrons operated from Amendola. 32 Squadron (32 Stormo) arrived at the airfield in 1993 for operational use. It flew the twin-engineFiat G.91Y.By 1995, all G.91 were retired and replaced by the modern AMX. With these aircraft, the squadron participated in 1997 and 1999 NATO missions over the formerYugoslavia.During theKosovo War,Amendola hostedBelgianandDutchF-16fighter aircraft. In 2002, the Italian Air Force received their first MQ-1 Predator drones, which later together with the AMX fighter aircraft, were used inAfghanistan. In preparation for the introduction of Lockheed Martin F-35 one of two AMX squadrons stationed here (13 Gruppo) was dissolved in December 2013 and reestablished with F-35s. On 12 December 2016 Amendola received the first two operational ItAF F-35As, marking the first combat unit operational with this model outside the US.

See also

• Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress airfields in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations

References

This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theAir Force Historical Research Agency