On the 7th February 2015, the Italian Task Force Air (TFA) in Djibouti completed its deployment with the EU Naval Force. The detachment, which boasts a Predator Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV), arrived in Djibouti last August and performed its first flight on the 4th September 2014.

Since then, the UAV has patrolled the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el Mandeb Strait and the north coast of Somalia.

After 28 missions, and with a total of more than 300 flying hours, the Italian UAV completed its last mission on the 5th February. During more than 220 hours on-station, it was remotely piloted by “Line of Sight” (LOS), by 28th Squadron personnel deployed to the French Chabelly Base in Djibouti. It was also piloted “Beyond Line of Sight” (BLOS) by Italian Air Force personnel deployed in Amendola Air Force Base in Italy.

On completion of her deployment, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, Force Commander of the EU Naval Force, thanked the Commanding Officer of the Italian TFA, Colonel Elio Volpari, and his staff for their contribution to Operation Atalanta.