Four years after its entry into service with Italian Army Aviation, the NH90 is conducting a final phase of intensive training before making its debut in the 'hot zone' of Afghanistan. Combat Aircraft joins Team NH90 at Viterbo and 5° Gruppo Elicotteri at Luni to analyse the latest rotorcraft to enter service with the Italian Army and Navy. IT'S 15.00HRS ON A TYPICAL winter's day at Forward Support Base (FSB) Herat in Afghanistan when a call from the Regional Command - West (RC-West) requests the Italian Army's aviation battalion Task Force 'Fenice' to launch a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) mission. A convoy composed of eight vehicles belonging to civilian contractors has been attacked by a group of armed insurgents in the Shindand area, south of Herat, while they were held up by a technical problem with one of the vehicles. Within a few minutes the commander of TF 'Fenice' sets up a briefing in order to coordinate the required package of helicopters: one CH-47 Chinook with 20 soldiers, two Magentas for escort and fire support, one AB205 acting as relay node between all assets in the package, and two NH90s, one in forward medevac (medical evacuation) configuration, the other configured for support and equipped with two multi-barrel Dillon M134 machine guns.
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