1st Army Aviation Regiment &quot;Antares&quot;1st Army Aviation Regiment &quot;Antares&quot; 1st Army Aviation Regiment "Antares" The 1st Army Aviation Regiment "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. History. 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: 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 () 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 Dornier 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: Equipment. The regiment is equipped with 16x CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters. 1st Army Aviation Regiment "Antares" The 1st Army Aviation Regiment "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. History. Formation. During the 1975 Army reform the army reorganized