The Italian military attaché in Kuwait, Colonel Salvatore Ferrara, confirmed that “military cooperation between his country and Kuwait came after the Italian participation in the coalition that fought for the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, according to a United Nations resolution,” pointing out that “in the aftermath of the war, relations intensified in many sectors, but with a special focus on defense cooperation, which culminated in the signing of a government agreement with the Memorandum of Understanding in 2003.
In a ceremony marking the centenary of the Italian Air Force, with the participation of a large number of Kuwaiti officials, including Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defense Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Meshaal Al-Sabah, Assistant Undersecretary Dr. Sheikha Shamail Ahmed Khaled Al-Sabah, and a number of accredited military attaches in the country, Ferrara said, “The memorandum of understanding) paved the way for the exchange of training and educational courses, as some Kuwaiti students joined Italian military academies, and the Ministry of Defense in Kuwait sought to benefit from procurement opportunities from the world-renowned Italian industrial sector, reports Al-Rai daily.
He added that the intensification of the fight against terrorist organizations in 2014 led to the establishment of a new coalition, operating in the Middle East, and its forces are partially stationed in Kuwait, and because of the special relationship, Italy deployed a military unit in Kuwait in 2014, within about 150 units, and with the passage of time, the Italian military unit has grown in numbers and operational capabilities, and “we currently have 6 groups with different tasks like many other countries.”
“At the beginning of last March, a technical agreement was signed between the Kuwaiti Air Force, the Joint International Program Office and Leonardo Company, to start local training with a course of four pilots, and the program is finally moving towards more important goals, which will give the Kuwaiti Armed Forces experience and knowledge to work independently on Eurofighters which is one of the most capable combat aircraft in the global market,” he said, and explained that “the Kuwaiti Air Force received in December 2021 the first two Eurofighters (Typhoon Tranche 3) from the fleet of 28 aircraft, followed by 4 other aircraft, and the rest is supposed to be delivered.” of the fleet by the end of 2024.
On the centenary of the Italian Air Force, Ferrara said: “During World War I, military aviation made a big difference in the outcome of the conflict and many pilots were considered national heroes.”
Ferrara, said that World War II was a watershed moment in the history of the Italian Air Force, noting that “over decades, after Italy entered NATO and began our missions for peace, the first real participation was in the conflict since World War II, it was the coalition that fought for the liberation of Kuwait according to the United Nations resolution, where on the first day of the war we lost the Tornado fighter with its commander, pilot Major Bellini, and his assistant, Captain Cocciolone, who remained prisoners of war in Iraq for several months.
Ferrara stated that “after a journey that lasted more than 100 years, we realized that the history of military aviation in Italy began with the spirit of the knights and the struggles of the First World War to end up with one of the most advanced air fleets in the world.”
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