The Italian Air Force’s Task Group Black Cats were among the unsung heroes of the operation over Afghanistan. Gian Carlo Vecchi looks back at the missions flown by the unit’s AMX A-11 fighter-bombers and speaks to the task group’s commander.
Giving support to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission was one of the Italian Armed Forces’ most significant – and enduring – overseas commitments of recent years. While all branches of the military were active in the country, as of 2013 the Aeronautica Militare (AM, Italian Air Force) was providing three task groups: Albatros with C-130J and C-27J transports, Astore with MQ-1C Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and Black Cats with AMX A-11 fighter-bombers.