THE ITALIAN air force will disband a further three of its obsolete Nike-Hercules surface-to-air missile (SAM) units in the next two years.
Of the original 12 defence missile squadrons - known as Gruppis - only seven now remain under the control of the 16th and 17th Stormi, or air wings.
The air force had hoped to replace the Nike with the Raytheon Patriot SAM, but funding difficulties have effectively killed this aim.
It is now closely following the progress of the embryonic MEADS air-defence missile system, which will also provide theatre ballistic-missile defence.
The air force's interest is, for the moment at least, academic, since no funding has yet been allocated to the project.
Source: Flight International