| Brigata Aeromobile "Friuli" | |
|---|---|
Coat of Arms Friuli Air Assault Brigade |
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| Active | November 1, 1884 - December 28, 1926 Friuli Infantry Brigade April 15, 1960 - September 23, 1975 Friuli Infantry Brigade September 23, 1975 - June 1, 1991 Friuli Motorized Brigade June 1, 1991 - May 1, 2000 Friuli Mechanized Brigade May 1, 2000 - today Friuli Air Assault Brigade |
| Country | Italy |
| Allegiance | Italian Army |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Brigade |
| Role | Infantry |
| Part of | COMFOD 1° |
| Garrison/HQ | Bologna |
| Colors | light blue |
| Engagements | World War I Somalia UNITAF Bosnia SFOR Kosovo KFOR Iraq MNF-I Afghanistan ISAF |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Brigadier Luigi Francavilla |
The Friuli Air Assault Brigade is a Air Assault brigade of the Italian Army, based mainly in the north-east of the country.
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The Friuli Infantry Brigade was formed on 1 November 1884, in Milan and consisted of the 87th Infantry Regiment Friuli and the 88th Infantry Regiment Friuli. The brigade fought in World War I but was dissolved after the war on 28 December 1926.
In 1939 the 20th Infantry Division Friuli was formed by renaming the existing 20th Infantry Division Curtatone e Montanara and commanded the brigades traditional regiments - the 87th and 88th Infantry regiments. (for the divisions history see 20th Infantry Division Friuli)
On 15 April 1960, the Friuli Infantry Division was reduced to brigade, losing all its traditional regiments and receiving as replacement the 78th Infantry Regiment Lupi di Toscana. The Brigade was headquartered in Florence and most of its units stationed in the surrounding region of Tuscany. The structure of the Friuli Infantry Brigade was:
With the abolishment of the regimental level in Italy on 23 September 1975, the brigade changed name and became the Friuli Motorized Brigade. The new structure was:
On 1 January 1986, the Friuli Brigade and the Folgore Parachute Brigade, in conjunction with some units of the Army's Light Army Aviation and the Navy's San Marco Regiment, became the Rapid Intervention Forces of the Italian Military, deployable on short notice for out of area missions. After the end of the Cold War and the subsequent reduction of the Italian Army the Friuli assumed the command of the units of the dissolved Trieste Mechanized Brigade on 1 June 1991, and changed its name to Friuli Mechanized Brigade. The brigades headquarter was moved from Florence to Bologna and with the reintroduction of the regimental level in 1992 the brigade was then composed of the following units on 1 January 1993.
During the 1990s the brigade was reorganized to become Italy's first and only Air Assault Brigade. The 33rd Tank and 121st Infantry regiments were dissolved; the 21st Self-propelled Artillery Regiment was transferred to the Pinerolo Armored Brigade in Southern Italy. In 1997 the brigade received the 4th Army Corps' 3rd Cavalry Regiment Savoia Cavalleria, which was transferred from Meran in the north to the city of Grosseto in Tuscany. On 1 January 1999, the 7th Army Aviation Regiment Vega and on 1 May 2000, the 5th Army Aviation Regiment Rigel were transferred to the brigade, which on the second date changed its name to Friuli Air Assault Brigade. On 1 January 2005, the 6th Bersaglieri Regiment was transferred to the Aosta Mechanized Brigade.
All regiments are battalion sized.
The Savoia cavalry regiment is equipped with 40 Centauro tank destroyers and 36 Puma 4x4 armoured personnel carriers and the Trieste infantry regiment with 26 Puma 6x6 armoured personnel carriers. Each of the two Army Aviation regiments is equipped with 30 A129 "Mangusta" Attack Helicopters and 12 AB 205A-1 transport helicopters.
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