The a hundred and first Gruppo (Squadron), reactivated after a interval in “quadro” (dormant) standing, will function the STOVL variant of the Lightning II plane from Amendola Air Base.
On Jul. 1, 2025, throughout a ceremony attended by a number of former members of the unit, the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Power) reactivated the 101° Gruppo to function the service’s F-35B STOVL (Brief Take-Off and Vertical Touchdown) plane. The a hundred and first Squadron now joins the 13° Gruppo, the primary Italian Air Power unit to function the F-35, as a part of the 32° Stormo (Wing).
F-35B BL-5/32-18 and BL-3/32-14 have been on show at Amendola Air Base, each sporting the standard insignia of the 101° Gruppo, a purple lightning bolt piercing a snake, on the left consumption, together with the unit’s WWII emblem painted on the left aspect of the nostril part beneath the cover. BL-3 was additionally given a big a hundred and first Gruppo badge on the left tail, though it stays unclear whether or not this may turn out to be a everlasting function, as Italian F-35s normally show the wing insignia in that place.
Former commander of the a hundred and first Squadron, author and buddy Flavio Babini, was at Amendola for the occasion and took the pictures of the unit’s F-35Bs featured on this article.
With the project of the F-35B to the a hundred and first Gruppo, the Italian Air Power now operates 4 Lightning squadrons:
13° Gruppo at Amendola AB
102° Gruppo at Ghedi AB
156° Gruppo, the kind’s OCU (Operational Conversion Unit) at Luke AFB, Arizona
101° Gruppo at Amendola
Starting on Jul. 2, 2025, the squadron will likely be 5, because the 154° Gruppo at Ghedi AB, will switch its Twister plane to the 155° Gruppo, to transition to the F-35. With the brand new arrange, the a hundred and fifty fifth squadron will stay the one Italian Air Power unit to function the residual Twister IDS and ECR plane.
a hundred and first Gruppo
The 101° Gruppo has a distinguished lineage throughout the Italian Air Power, tracing its origins again to March 1941 when it was fashioned because the 101° Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento a Tuffo, outfitted with German-supplied Ju 87B “Stuka” dive bombers. Initially tasked with dive-bombing operations throughout World Conflict II, the unit took half in a number of campaigns earlier than being disbanded on the finish of the warfare. It was reactivated within the post-war years as a jet unit flying F-84F Thunderstreaks, and later the G.91Y “Yankee”. Throughout the Nineteen Fifties, the a hundred and first additionally contributed pilots and plane to the “Getti Tonanti,” the Aeronautica Militare’s official aerobatic staff earlier than the Frecce Tricolori.
Within the Chilly Conflict years, the unit transitioned right into a floor assault function, and in 1994, it started working the AMX “Ghibli,” a light-attack and reconnaissance plane developed collectively by Italy and Brazil. Disbanded briefly in 1994 (when it was outfitted with the G-91Y as a part of the 8° Stormo), the a hundred and first was reformed a 12 months later at Amendola Air Base as a multi-role unit accountable each for operational missions and for the operational conversion of AMX pilots. Beneath the 32° Stormo, the squadron took half in NATO operations over the Balkans and contributed to tactical coaching for Ghibli crews. It remained a key element of the AMX fleet’s deployment functionality all through the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s.
In 2014, as a part of a broader reorganization of the Italian Air Power’s fixed-wing coaching pipeline, the 101° Gruppo was transferred again beneath the 51° Stormo at Istrana, specializing in superior coaching and operational standardization for AMX pilots. The unit was finally positioned in cadre (dormant) standing in November 2016, because the AMX fleet started to attract down in favor of extra fashionable platforms, just like the F-35.
