Friuli Air Assault Brigade

Brigata Aeromobile "Friuli"
Coat of Arms Airmobile Brigade "Friuli"
Active	1 November 1884 - 28 December 1926 Infantry Brigade "Friuli" 15 April 1960 - 23 September 1975 Infantry Brigade "Friuli" 24 September 1975 - 1 June 1991 Motorized Brigade "Friuli" 2 June 1991 - 1 May 2000 Mechanized Brigade "Friuli" 2 May 2000 - today Airmobile Brigade "Friuli"
Country	Italy
Allegiance	Italian Army
Branch	Army
Type	Brigade
Role	Infantry
Part of	Friuli Division Command
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 Airmobile Brigade "Friuli" is an airmobile brigade of the Italian Army, based mainly in the north-east of the country. The brigade was part of the 1st Defence Forces Command until it was transferred to the Division "Friuli".

The Infantry Brigade Friuli was formed on 1 November 1884, in Milan and consisted of the 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" and the 88th Infantry Regiment "Friuli". At the outbreak of hostilities between Kingdom of Italy and the Austrian Empire in 1915 the Friuli along with the Infantry Brigade "Cremona" formed the 16th Division of the Line. The brigade fought bravely in World War I but was dissolved after the war on 28 December 1926.

The 20th Infantry Division Friuli was formed on 24 August 1939 by renaming the existing 20th Infantry Division Curtatone e Montanara in Livorno. The division was immediately split to create the 44th Infantry Division Cremona, but it retained its traditional regiments: the 87th and 88th infantry regiments.

After the armistice between Italy and the Allies on 3 September 1943 the Friuli fought on the allied side as part of the Italian Co-Belligerent Army.

After World War II the division was the only division of the IV Military Territorial Command and based in the city of Bolzano. In 1949 the division moved to Florence where it joined the VII Military Territorial Command. There the division was augmented with the 78th Infantry Regiment Lupi di Toscana, 8th Field Artillery Regiment and 3rd Light Anti-Air Artillery Regiment. Later the 3rd Light Anti-Air Artillery Regiment was replaced by the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment Piemonte Cavalleria.