Salto di Quirra

Poligono sperimentale e di addestramento interforze Salto di Quirra
Near Perdasdefogu, Sardinia in Italy
Poligono sperimentale e di addestramento interforze Salto di Quirra Location in Italy
Coordinates	39°31′38″N 9°37′58″E / 39.52722°N 9.63278°E / 39.52722; 9.63278
Type	Aerospace (military/civil)
Site information
Operator	Italian Air Force
Status	Active
Site history
In use	1956–present
Test information
Other tests	Missiles, aircraft weapons, drone aircraft, rockets

Salto di Quirra is a restricted weapons testing range and rocket launch site near Perdasdefogu on the island of Sardinia. It is the largest military range in Italy, composed of 12,000 hectares of land owned by the Italian Ministry of Defence and one of the largest in operation within the European Union.^[1] Birth defects and cancer in the area have been blamed on weaponry used at the site.^[2]

Sardinia hosts about 60% of Italian military ranges and together with Friuli-Venezia Giulia^[3] is one of the most militarized regions of Italy.

Salto di Quirra primarily launches military rockets, but civilian rockets, such as the Skylark, have occasionally been launched for the study of the upper atmosphere.

The Salto di Quirra range is located close to the town of Perdasdefogu in a mountainous zone at the southeast of Sardinia. It is an inter-arm range, currently placed under the authority of the Italian Air Force. Its main activity deals with the tests of various types of missiles used or built by Italy, or in collaboration.

At the beginning of the 1960s, this base was used for the first sounding rocket launches carried out by the CRA (Centro Ricerche Aerospaziali) in cooperation with the Italian Air Force and NASA. Three campaigns of Nike-Asp and Nike-Cajun launches took place in 1961 and 1963.

From 1964 and until 1972, it was used for the ESRO's sounding rocket program using especially Skylark and Centaure rockets, but also Bélier and Zenit-C. During this period, some sounding rockets were also launched on behalf of Switzerland and Germany.

After 1972, the Salto di Quirra activities in the field of rocketry were limited to national programs. Three Alfa experimental vehicles were launched successfully in 1973-75. A test of the San Marco scout rocket, in 1992, was less successful.