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After two weeks of intense operations, Typhoon Flag 25 officially concluded on Friday, February 14, at Trapani-Birgi Air Base, hosted for the first time by the Italian Air Force’s 37th Wing. The exercise brought together all four Wings responsible for national air defense—the 4th Wing (Grosseto), 36th Wing (Gioia del Colle), 37th Wing (Trapani), and 51st Wing (Istrana)—who combined aircraft, crews, and technical expertise to carry out the most important Eurofighter (F-2000) event of the year. The exercise successfully achieved two key goals: multi-level pilot training across participating Typhoon squadrons and operational and maintenance standardization across the Italian Eurofighter fleet.
Weapon Instructor Course & Multi-Domain Integration
A major feature of this year’s edition was the advanced phase of the Weapon Instructor Course (WIC), aimed at training elite instructors in air combat tactics and mission planning. The force package included eight Eurofighter Typhoons, four F-35A Lightning IIs operating from their home bases, a G550 CAEW, and a KC-767A tanker, enabling the execution of highly realistic and dynamic scenarios modeled on modern crisis theaters. With technical and logistical support from the Salto di Quirra Interforces Test Range, pilots also trained in the detection and defense against long-range cruise missile threats. Integrated use of unmanned systems allowed the simulation of modern UAS threats in a multi-domain environment, following the F2T2EA cycle: Find, Fix, Target, Track, Engage, Assess—a methodology already validated during past exercises like Falcon Strike 2022.
4th–5th Gen Synergy and Operational Refinement
Collaboration with the 6th and 32nd Wings facilitated deeper integration between 4th- and 5th-generation platforms, such as the F-2000, F-35, and support assets like the G550 CAEW from the 14th Wing (Pratica di Mare) and KC-767A tankers. While the F-35s flew from their home stations, the CAEW aircraft staged temporary deployments to Trapani, enabling direct coordination through shared briefings, mission planning, and debriefings with Eurofighter crews. These exchanges proved vital in refining tactics, identifying improvement areas, and enhancing joint performance. This integration effort also involved remote participation from D.A.M.I. personnel (Integrated Air and Missile Defense) of the 22nd Group in Licola, who contributed to the mission planning phase.
Broad Participation Across the Italian Air Force
The exercise also supported the training of pilots from the 20th O.C.U. (Operational Conversion Unit) of the 4th Wing, who are preparing to join their assigned combat squadrons. Several key units from across the Air Force participated, including the 80th SAR Center (15th Wing), Aerospace Operations Command (Poggio Renatico), and the 22nd D.A.M.I. Group, which served as Primary Control Agency alongside the CAEW throughout the exercise. The Re.S.T.O.G.E. (Electronic Warfare Operational Technical Support Unit) contributed its onboard operators to the CAEW mission package, focusing on electromagnetic spectrum surveillance, while its technical and analysis teams ensured real-time mission data reprogramming for both F-2000 and F-35 platforms.
Strengthening Eurofighter Community Cohesion
Typhoon Flag 2025 reaffirmed its status as a critical opportunity for meeting a broad set of training goals—ranging from air combat and intercept coordination to electronic warfare and multi-platform cooperation. Most importantly, it further promoted the standardization and tactical cohesion of the entire Italian Eurofighter community, reinforcing its spirit of cooperation, adaptability, and shared expertise across all air defense units.
