In 1954, Italy’s Guardia di Finanza (GdF) introduced Agusta Bell AB-47Gs to carry out reconnaissance taskings in support of land and sea-based missions and, if necessary, search and rescue sorties.
However, the country began to have greater issues with trafficking as the decade continued, and it became apparent that the AB-47Gs weren’t capable of long-distance missions at sea. A solution was found in the operation of Italian Air Force (ItAF) Beechcraft C-45 Expeditors with mixed ItAF/GdF crews to prevent smuggling in Italian waters. Owing to the C-45’s importance in the GdF’s formative years, an example of the twin-radial type has been preserved at the Museo del Servizio Aereo della Guardia di Finanza (GdF Air Service Museum) at Pratica di Mare Air Base, south of Rome.
The aircraft MM61714, (c/n 6976) was built as a UC-45B and initially delivered to the RAF as an Expeditor II on July 12, 1944. It spent two years with the air arm on communications and liaison duties before being returned to the US Army Air Force in April 1946 as 44-47094. In May 1949, the Beechcraft was handed over to the Italian Air Force and registered as MM61714. In Italian service, the type wa…
