1st Army Aviation Regiment "Antares"

The 1st Army Aviation Regiment "Antares" (1° Reggimento Aviazione dell'Esercito "Antares") is an active unit of the Italian Army based at Viterbo Airport in Lazio. The regiment is part of the Italian army's army aviation and operationally assigned to the Army Aviation Brigade.

Formation
During the 1975 Army reform the army reorganized its aviation units and for the first time created aviation units above battalion level. On 1 February 1976 the 1st Army Light Aviation Grouping "Antares" was raised at Viterbo Airport to take command of the aviation units based there. After its activation the grouping was structured as follows:


 * CoA mil ITA rgt aves 1.png 1st Army Light Aviation Grouping "Antares", at Viterbo Airport
 * 11th Medium Transport Helicopters Squadrons Group "Ercole"
 * Command and Services Squadron
 * 111th Medium Transport Helicopters Squadron (CH-47C Chinook helicopters)
 * 112th Medium Transport Helicopters Squadron (CH-47C Chinook helicopters)
 * 12th Medium Transport Helicopters Squadrons Group "Gru" (formed 12 October 1977)
 * Command and Services Squadron
 * 121st Medium Transport Helicopters Squadron (CH-47C Chinook helicopters)
 * 122nd Medium Transport Helicopters Squadron (CH-47C Chinook helicopters)
 * 51st Multirole Helicopters Squadrons Group "Leone"
 * Command and Services Squadron
 * 511th Multirole Helicopters Squadron (AB 204B/205 helicopters)
 * 512th Multirole Helicopters Squadron (AB 204B/205 helicopters)
 * 513th Multirole Helicopters Squadron (AB 204B/205 helicopters)
 * 514th Multirole Helicopters Squadron (AB 204B/205 helicopters)

Naming
Since the 1975 army reform Italian army aviation units are named for celestial objects: groupings, and later regiments, are numbered with a single digit and named for stars in the 88 modern constellationss. Accordingly an army aviation regiment's coat of arms highlights the name-giving star within its constellation. Squadron groups were numbered with two digits and named for constellations, or planets of the Solar System. The 1st Army Light Aviation Grouping was named for Antares the brightest star in the Scorpius (Scorpione) constellation. When the army raised army aviation support regiments in 1996 they were named in relation to the regiment they supported, and therefore the 1st Antares' support regiment was named 4th Army Aviation Support Regiment "Scorpione".

With the decree 173 from 14 March 1977 the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone granted the grouping a newly created war flag, which has since been awarded one Military Order of Italy for the regiment's service with the United Nations Transition Assistance Group in Namibia and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, one Military Order of Italy for the regiment's international operations between 1991 and 2016, one Silver Medal of Army Valour for the regiment's service after the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, and one Silver Cross of Army Merit for the regiment's service with the United Nations Operation in Somalia I and the United Nations Operation in Somalia II.

Events
On 25 June 1979 the grouping activated the ITALAIR Squadron in Naqoura in Lebanon as asset of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. On 1 September 1981 the 12th Medium Transport Helicopters Squadrons Group "Gru" was disbanded and its personnel and equipment integrated into the 11th Medium Transport Helicopters Squadrons Group "Ercole". On 6 October 1991 the grouping was renamed regiment without changing size or composition. On 29 November 1993 the regiment activated the Liaison and Light Transport Planes Squadron (ACTL Squadron) with Do 228-212 planes.

On 1 October 1999 a major reorganization of the regiment occurred: the 28th Squadrons Group "Tucano" moved from Rome Urbe Airport to Viterbo Airport and received the ACTL Squadron from the Antares regiment. On the same day the 28th Tucano also received the Army Aviation Center's Liaison and Regional Transport Planes Squadron (ACTR Squadron) with P180E Avanti II planes and the ITALAIR Squadron transferred to the Army Aviation Command.

On 1 September 2001 the 26th Squadrons Group "Giove" at Pisa Air Base left the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" and joined the Antares regiment. The same year the regiment entered the Air Cavalry Grouping, which on 1 March 2006 became the Army Aviation Brigade. On 4 November 2002 the 26th Squadrons Group "Giove" was disbanded in Pisa and its name transferred to the new 26th Special Operations Helicopter Unit "Giove" (26th REOS) at Viterbo airport. The 26th REOS had been formed that day by the merger of the 39th Squadrons Group "Drago" and the 51st Squadrons Group "Leone". In June 2013 the 28th Tucano joined the regiment, while on 10 November 2014 the 26th REOS left the regiment to form the 3rd Special Operations Helicopter Regiment "Aldebaran".

Current Structure
As of 2019 the 1st Army Aviation Regiment "Antares" consists of:


 * CoA mil ITA rgt aves 1.png 1st Army Aviation Regiment "Antares", at Viterbo Airport
 * Headquarters Unit
 * 11th Squadrons Group "Ercole"
 * 111th Medium Transport Helicopters Squadron
 * 112th Medium Transport Helicopters Squadron
 * 28th Squadrons Group "Tucano"
 * Liaison and Regional Transport Planes Squadron (Squadrone Aerei di Collegamento e Trasporto Regionale - ACTR)
 * Liaison and Light Transport Planes Squadron (Squadrone Aerei di Collegamento e Trasporto Leggero - ACTL)
 * UAV Squadron
 * Support Squadrons Group
 * Logistic Support Squadron
 * Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
 * 1st Regiment "Antares" Permanent Detachment at Pisa Air Base

Equipment
The 11th Squadrons Group "Ercole" is equipped with 16x CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters. The 28th Tucano's ACTR squadron fields three P180E Avanti II planes, the ACTL squadron three Do 228-212 planes, and the UAV squadron four Shadow 200 drones.