Italian Air Force P-72A
The 41° Stormo of the Italian Air Force at Sigonella has introduced to service a true force-multiplier. As Dino Marcellino finds out, the multirole P-72A is suitable not only for maritime patrol duty, but also offers powerful C4ISR capabilities in a variety of scenarios.
P-72A MM62281 ‘41-03’ cruises above Sicily’s southern coastline. This is one of the Italian Air Force’s fi rst two P-72As delivered to the 41° Stormo in December 2016. All photos Dino Marcellino
The Breguet 1150 Atlantic made its last flight on October 18 last year – not under its own power, but slung from the barycentric hook of an Erickson S-64 Aircrane helicopter, taking it from Pratica di Mare air base to the Italian Air Force’s museum at Vigna di Valle. With this, the much-loved maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) made its final exit. The Atlantic’s final operational flight took place a year before, in a formation flanked by the new P-72A.
