After the war the Corpo Aeronautico Militare became the basis of the Regia Aeronautica, which became an air force independent of the Royal Italian Army on 28 March 1923.

As a unique result, both the Italians and their opposing Austro-Hungarian aviation developed the only theater of war that featured seaplane bombers and fighters.

[2] The second area, an internal one, was that covered by home defense aviation units to protect Italian cities from aerial bombing.

The lack of a net of ground observers and aircraft spotters to give early warning only compounded the difficulties.

This was the start of a series of tit-for-tat raids on enemy cities launched by both Italy and Austro-Hungary that would carry on through war's end.

[2] On 7 April 1916, the newly formed Italian fighter arm scored its first victories despite being handicapped by "scramble" tactics.

By May, in an attempt to replace casualties and expand its air force, 568 Italian pilots graduated from 20- to 24-week courses in the first five months of 1916.

In August 1916 Italy began use of escort fighters accompanying its bombers to ward off Austro-Hungarian interceptors intent on foiling Italian bombing raids.

Italian aviation had a significant effect on the course of fighting on Mount Ortigara; its 61 bombers dropped 5.5 tons of bombs on Austro-Hungarian troops.

The 84 escorts for this mission found little opposition, as the Austro-Hungarians could muster only three single-seat fighters and 23 two-seater reconnaissance craft against them.

By September 1916 Italian air assets came to 42 squadrons crewed by 369 pilots (140 officers, 229 enlisted), 162 observers, and 123 gunners.

By the end of 1916, Italians fliers were credited with 56 aerial victories for the year[2] The ongoing stalemate of the Battles of the Isonzo drew more and more of Italy's military forces northward to repel the invaders.

In the early hours of 24 October 1917, the Austro-Hungarians having been supplemented by German troops, launched a devastating attack on the Italian lines centered on the Caporetto Valley.

Demand for close air support was so insistent that the massive Caproni strategic bombers were diverted to the task.

In the wake of the Battle of Caporetto, four squadrons of the British Royal Flying Corps were dispatched to Italy to supplement the Italian aviation effort.

Unbeknownst to either Italians or British, the Austro-Hungarians were beginning to suffer shortages of vital war materials on the home front; as a result, their aviation activities were seriously curtailed for the Winter of 1917.

[2] In turn, the German Empire reinforced its laggard allies the Austro-Hungarians with air assets; however, they were also relatively inactive over the Winter of 1917–1918.

The failure of the multi-purpose SIA 7 also left some Italian pilots flying obsolescent Farman and Voisin reconnaissance craft well into 1918, and paying the price in blood.

[2] The Corpo Aeronautico Militare became the basis of the Regia Aeronautica, which became an air force independent of the Italian Army on 28 March 1923.