On 31 August – 2 September 1940, "Vittorio Veneto" sortied as part of an Italian force of five battleships, ten cruisers, and thirty-four destroyers to intercept British naval forces taking part in Operation Hats and Convoy MB.3, but contact was not made with either group due to poor aerial reconnaissance and no action occurred. In addition, British aerial reconnaissance detected the oncoming Italian fleet and was able to escape. On 6 September, the fleet sortied again to attack a British force that had been reported leaving Gibraltar, but the British ships instead steamed south into the Atlantic. A similar outcome resulted from the movement against British Operation "MB.5" on 29 September - 1 October; "Vittorio Veneto", four other battleships, eleven cruisers, and twenty-three destroyers had attempted to intercept the convoy carrying troops to Malta. In this operation, the Italian "Regia Aeronautica" (Royal Air Force) did locate the convoy, but the British were able to evade the Italian fleet.