A historic T6G Texan trainer aircraft has been donated by the Italian military. It will be exhibited at the Malta Aviation Museum.

The aircraft was presented to Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela this afternoon.

Mr Abela thanked the Italians for their generosity and spoke of the close relationship between the AFM and the Italian military.

“Italian know-how has been crucial in training our personnel, helicopters from this island are operated by mixed Maltese-Italian crews and the AFM works in close collaboration with the Italian military in patrolling the sea that surrounds us,” he said.

He stressed that aside from rescue missions, Malta and Italy were closely collaborating on issues relating to irregular migration.

The minister highlighted the technological investment in the assets of the Armed Forces of Malta.

He said that a second helicopter arrived recently and would be inaugurated in the coming months while procurement had begun for a third maritime patrol aircraft.

These would enhance the AFM’s capability to operate at sea for an extended duration and at a greater distance than was previously possible.

“Meanwhile, we are upgrading the AFM microwave carrier link networks. This will ensure a secure flow of radio and data communication between all AFM assets and locations, increasing operational security”, he said.

Italian Military Mission commanding officer, Colonel Luca Mariz, and Italian Ambassador Giovanni Umberto De Vito attended the presentation ceremony at the Aviation Museum.