Италия әскери-теңіз күшінің «Джузеппе Гарибальди» ұшақ тасушысы

Italian aircraft carrier

Giuseppe Garibaldi is an Italian aircraft carrier, the first through deck aviation ship ever built for the Italian Navy, and the first Italian ship built to operate fixed wing aircraft. Although she is widely recognised as a carrier first and foremost, she is officially designated as an aircraft carrying cruiser. She is equipped with short take off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft and helicopters. Giuseppe Garibaldi was involved in combat air operations off Somalia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Libya.

In 1999 with the Kosovo War in the Balkans, Italy committed Harrier AV 8B II+ fighters embarked aboard Giuseppe Garibaldi from 13 May to early June 1999. The planes carried out 30 sorties in 63 hours of flight. The aircraft used Mk 82 GBU 16 bombs and AGM 65 Maverick missiles. The Italian naval force, in addition to the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi with her air group, included the Italian frigate Zeffiro. Following the attacks of 11 September 2001 and the war on terror declared by U. S. President Bush, Italy participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Giuseppe Garibaldi was engaged as the command ship of GRUPNAVIT I, 1 Italian Naval Group, which also included Zeffiro, the patrol team and the airman supplier in Etna. The group set sail from Taranto on 18 November 2001. They trained in the Indian Ocean from 3 December 2001 to 1 March 2002 and returned to Taranto on 18 March 2002. During the mission, the AV 8B Harrier unit carried out 288 missions for a total of 860 hours of flight. Tasks carried out included interception/interdiction, sea and air support, and aircraft interdiction in Afghanistan. Participating in the 2011 military intervention in Libya after the transfer of authority to NATO and the decision to participate in strike air ground operations, the Italian government assigned under NATO command four Italian Navy AV 8B plus (from Garibaldi) in addition to Italian air force aircraft. As of 24 March, the Italian Navy was engaged in Operation Unified Protector with the light aircraft carrier Garibaldi, the Maestrale class frigate Italian frigate Libeccio and the auxiliary ship Italian ship Etna. Additionally the Italian destroyer Andrea Doria and Maestrale class frigate Italian frigate Euro were patrolling off the Sicilian coast in an air defence role. In total, until the end of the mission in Libya, the eight Italian Navy AV 8Bs flying from the carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi dropped 160 guided bombs during 1221 flight hours.