Italian aerobatic team Frecce Tricolori prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary with a large air show in Rivolto, Italy

Frecce Tricolori along the flight line are preparing to take off to perform a demo display.

Under the motto "Un abbraccio lungo 60 anni - A hug 60 years long", the demonstration team of the Italian Air Force "Frecce Tricolori" is preparing to celebrate six decades of activity. During all these years, the Frecce Tricolori have represented the values, technology, competence and ability to team up of the Italian Air Force, as well as the capabilities of the national industry, in much of the world. They have performed from America to Russia, from Northern Europe to the Middle East, up to North Africa.

All this was made possible thanks to the commitment and collaboration of all the staff of the Italian Air Force.

"The human factor within the aerobatic team is fundamental," said Lt Col Gaetano Farina, Commander of the Frecce Tricolori. "We are not talking about individuals but teams, not only the pilots but also all those who work on the ground."

Through flyovers and performances, the Frecce Tricolori have marked meaningful moments in the history of Italy, continuing to keep alive that sense of belonging to the nation.

It is a sensation well known to all Italians, which the people experienced especially last year, when the 2020 schedule of the Frecce Tricolori was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After paying homage to the Italians with a long flyover over the whole country, called "Abbraccio Tricolore", the team temporarily shut down the engines of its MB-339PAN jets waiting for better times.

Now that time has come and the Italian Air Force is ready to celebrate the sixty years of its aerobatic team with an air show that includes demo displays of various aircraft of the Italian Air Force and some foreign aerobatic teams.

The Italian Air Force is currently finalizing the program of the air show that will take place on 18 and 19 September at the Rivolto Air Base, northern Italy. It will include several performers, including HH-139A, HH-101A, TH-500, C-27J RSV, T-346A RSV, Eurofighter RSV, Legend Formation (T-6 Texan / Fiat G-46 / MB-326K / MB-326E / SF-260EA / S-208M / MB-339A / MB-339CD / T-346A), AMX, Tornado, F-35A, F-35B, C-130J, G550 CAEW, KC-767A, Red Devils, Orlik Team, Krilja Oluje, Midnight Hawks, Patrulla Aguila, Patrouille Suisse, Frecce Tricolori.

Compared to similar events in the past, on this occasion the participation of the public was considerably limited in accordance with the restrictive measures to contain the spread of Covid-19. Starting from 2 September at 10 AM LT, the Italian Air Force made available the passes to access the base through the event website, however, they sold out in a few hours.

The air show will be streamed on the official social channels of the Italian Air Force on both days and will be broadcast live on national TV (Rai 1 channel) on 18 September.

During the event, the public will be able to admire the Frecce Tricolori jets with special tails up close for the first time. They were painted last May to pay tribute to the Italian aerobatic teams of the 1950s.

Written by Matteo Sanzani

Source, Images: Italian Air Force