page_title: 3rd Missile Brigade "Aquileia"
section_title: 1975 reform
hierarchical_section_title: 3rd Missile Brigade "Aquileia" / History / 1975 reform
caption_attribution_description: Unknown scanner da fotografia di un obice M110A2 del 27º Gruppo art. pes. semovente "MARCHE" dell'esercito italiano ripreso nel 1989 ca. a Udine Pubblico dominio
context_page_description: The 3rd Missile Brigade Aquileia was an artillery brigade of the Italian Army active between 1959 and 1991. The brigade was stationed in North-Eastern Italy and armed with missile and artillery systems capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons as part of Italys participation in NATOs nuclear sharing programme. During peacetime the brigade fell under command of the Italian V Army Corps, but during wartime the brigade would have been subordinate to NATOs Allied Land Forces Southern Europe command in Verona. After the end of the Cold War the brigade was disbanded and its weapon systems retired.
context_section_description: In summer 1973 the 3rd Missile Artillery Regiment began the transition from Honest John to the more accurate and powerful MGM-52 Lance missile system. In summer 1974 troops from the 3rd Missile Artillery Regiment visited the US Army Field Artillery School in Fort Sill in Oklahoma to train with the new missile system. The training culminated with the launch of six Lance missiles on 5 and 6 December 1974 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. After the troops' return to Italy the 3rd Missile Artillery Regiment began to phase out its Honest John systems. As the MGM-52 Lance was more accurate, far reaching and powerful than the MGR-1 Honest John the 3rd Missile Artillery Regiment was disbanded on 1 January 1975 and replaced by the 3rd Missile Group "Volturno. The Volturno fielded three missile batteries, each armed with two M-752 missile launchers.
  On 27 July 1975 the 3rd Missile Group "Volturno" fired the first Lance missiles on Italian soil from the Salto di Quirra military firing range at Perdasdefogu in Sardinia. After the successful launch the group was declared operational. The same year the Italian army abolished the regimental level, moved from Roman numerals to Arabic numerals and awarded new honorific titles to units. Therefore, the brigade became the 3rd Missile Brigade "Aquileia" and its new composition at the end of 1977 was as follows:
   3rd Missile Brigade "Aquileia" / 5th Army Corps Artillery Command, in Portogruaro
  Command Unit "Aquileia", in Portogruaro
   27th Heavy Self-propelled Artillery Regiment, in Udine
  Command and Services Battery, in Udine
  I 175/60 Self-propelled Group, in Udine (M107 175mm self-propelled guns)
  II 175/60 Self-propelled Group, in Udine (M107 175mm self-propelled guns)
   1st Heavy Artillery Group "Adige", in Elvas
  Command and Services Battery, in Elvas
  7th Battery, in Elvas (M115 203mm towed howitzers, ammunition included W33 nuclear artillery shells)
  8th Battery, in Elvas (M115 203mm towed howitzers, ammunition included W33 nuclear artillery shells)
  4th Fusiliers Company, in Elvas
   3rd Missile Group "Volturno", in Oderzo
  Command Battery, in Oderzo
  1st Missile Battery, in Oderzo (MGM-52 Lance surface-to-surface missiles, ammunition included W70 nuclear warheads)
  2nd Missile Battery, in Codognè (MGM-52 Lance surface-to-surface missiles, ammunition included W70 nuclear warheads)
  3rd Missile Battery, in Codognè (MGM-52 Lance surface-to-surface missiles, ammunition included W70 nuclear warheads)
  1st Fusiliers Company, in Codognè
  3rd Fusiliers Company, in Oderzo
  Services Battery, in Oderzo
   9th Heavy Artillery Group "Rovigo", in Verona
  Command and Services Battery, in Verona
  1st Battery, in Verona (M115 203mm towed howitzers, ammunition included W33 nuclear artillery shells)
  2nd Battery, in Verona (M115 203mm towed howitzers, ammunition included W33 nuclear artillery shells)
   13th Signal Battalion "Mauria", in Portogruaro
   21st Engineer Battalion "Timavo", in Vicenza
   41st Artillery Specialists Group "Cordenons", in Casarsa della Delizia
  Command and Services Battery, in Casarsa della Delizia
  1st Target Acquisition Battery, in Casarsa della Delizia
  2nd Target Acquisition Battery (Reserve), in Casarsa della Delizia
  3rd Target Acquisition Battery (Reserve), in Casarsa della Delizia
  Unmanned Aircraft Battery, in Casarsa della Delizia
   92nd Infantry (Recruits Training) Battalion "Basilicata", in Portogruaro
  13th Target Acquisition Group  "Aquileia", in Verona
  Command and Services Battery
  Reconnaissance and Target Acquisition Battery
  Unmanned Aircraft Battery (Canadair CL-89B "Midge" drones)
  Air Component, at Boscomantico Air Base
  398th Light Airplanes Squadron (SM.1019A planes)
  598th Multirole Helicopters Squadron (AB-204B helicopters)
  Light Airplanes Maintenance Squadron
  XIII Supply and Repairs Battalion, in Vicenza
  2nd Fusiliers Company, in Vicenza
  At this point the brigade fielded around 5,500 men.
caption: 27th Heavy Artillery Group "Marche" M110A2 203mm howitzer
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