Italian Air Force says Goodbye to the AMX

After 35 years of intense operational activity, the Aeronautica Militare (ItAF, Italian Air Force) says goodbye to the AMX on Friday 5 April 2024.

A formal retirement (phase out) ceremony was staged at the Aeronautica Militare 51º Stormo (Wing) at Istrana air base, near Treviso in northern Italy. For the occasion a special coloured version of the aircraft with serial/code MM7162/51-34 (c/n IX074) could not be missed.

On the tail there is a pilot who salutes the Italian tricoloured flag, elements that distinguish the Aeronautica Militare, and the phrase 'Volatus ad astra, memoria in aeternum' ('Flew to the stars, remembered forever').

Just behind the cockpit, on the fuselage, a compass and a stylized world are depicted to represent the contribution to missions inside and outside national borders. Finally, on the nose we find the heraldry of the Italian Armed Forces.

The AMX International AMX is a ground-attack aircraft jointly developed by Brazil and Italy. The AMX is named Ghibli by the Italian Air Force and A-1 by the Brazilian Air Force. The Italian name (Ghibli) is taken from the hot dry wind of the Libyan desert.

Italian Air Force acquired 110 single seaters in 1989, along with 26 two-seater trainer versions (AMX-T). The AMX has since become an essential part of the ItAF operations and has been used in multiple theaters, including the Balkans, Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Credit photos: Aeronautica Militare and René Sleegers