Air International 2007-02
M.Balter - Flying Wolves - Italy's Naval Harriers /Military/
GRUPAER Harriers deploy twice a year for three-week periods to train aboard the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi. The squadron and ship have been involved in a number of operations, including Allied Force over Kosovo and, more recently, over Lebanon in August last year, in support of United Nations forces.
A GRUPAER AV-8B banks away from the camera ship, revealing its impressive array of weapons. From port to starboard, they are: an AIM-9L, GBU-12, GBU-32, ALQ-164 jamming pod, Litening II targeting pod, AGM-65F Maverick and another AIM-9L.
A GRUPAER AV-8B Harrier II Plus carrying an impressive array of stores, comprising AIM-9L Sidewinders, AGM-65F Maverick, Litening II targeting pod, ALQ-164 jamming pod, GBU-32, and GBU-12 laser-guided bomb.
An AV-8B comes into the hover to land at its home base of Grottaglie. Note the paw prints on the rudder, derived from the squadron's name of The Wolves. The port drop tank also carries the name.
This pair of two-seat TAV-8B training aircraft were the first Harriers delivered to the Italian Navy in 1991.