The Pentagon assigns to Lockheed Martin the strengthening of the FACO of Cameri the Italian production site of the F-35

Te0

Member
Messages
16
Reactions
24
Nation of residence
Italy
Nation of origin
Italy
With a contract of September 11, 2020, the Pentagon has assigned to Lockheed Martin the upgrading of the FACO - Final Assembly and Check Out of Cameri, the Italian production site of fifth-generation stealth fighters F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

In detail the contract of little more than 9 million dollars of the Department of Defense for the potenziamento of the FACO of Cameri, includes "manpower, planning of the orders of engineering modification, activity of installation and support" in particular for the activities of "regional modification, repair, revision and updating for the F-35 destined to the Italian government". the intense activities financed from the contract will be realized for 85% in the plant of Novara (remaining 15% to Fort Worth, in Texas), with completion

Who produces the F-35 Italians?​


For Italy, this contract confirms the confidence in Italy and the growth in employment and economic returns of the Italian participation in the F-35 program, which, as we know, has often ended up at the center of political attention and media. Joining the Joint Strike Fighter program is based on the need to replace the old hunting tactics formed by Tornados, AMX and Harriers and on relations with NATO and the United States.

Co-managed by Leonardo and Lockheed Martin, on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Defence, the FACO of Cameri is located at the airport of the Air Force. Together with the FACO in Nagoya, Japan, they are the only production units outside the United States to produce fifth-generation aircraft.

Today Cameri is the production site of the F-35, version A and B, Italian, the F-35A Dutch and wing sections for the entire world fleet.

There are 6 Dutch F-35A and 12 F-35A plus 3 Italian F-35B stealth aircraft of Lockheed Martin already out of the production line of the FACO of Cameri. We recall that there are 60 F-35A aircraft with conventional take-off ordered by the Ministry of Defence for the Air Force, in addition to 30 F-35B short take-off and vertical landing intended for both the Air Force and the Navy for a total of 90 machines, quantity cut in 2021 from the initial 131 machines planned.

During the first steps of the JSF - Joint Strike Fighter program, Italy expected to receive 131 aircraft: 79 F-35A and 30 F-35B for the Air Force and 22 F-35B that would have been commissioned by the Navy to be embarked on the aircraft carrier "Cavour" and on the future amphibious assault ship "Trieste". By a decision taken by the former Monti government in 2012, the acquisition plan was reduced to 60 F-35A and 30 F-35B, 15 for each of the two armed forces.

How many Italian F-35s are produced in Cameri?​


As for Italy, the purchase of lot 14 was specified and detailed in the DPP - Multi-annual Defence Policy Document 2019-2021, where the purchase programme for 28 aircraft (versions A and B) is reported until 2022. For the following lots from 2023 onwards it was the minister Lorenzo Guerini, last May, to give the green light to finalize the plan of total purchase of the 90 aircraft planned to date for the Italian defense.

Needless to say that 90 machines are few to replace three lines of combat, useless to tell the sterile ideological, political and electoral polemics or dogmatic positions on the expenditure intended for the purchase of F-35, machine today indispensable to the defense both in terms of operating capacity and in terms of economic return for the Italian industry.
 

Follow us on social media

Top Bottom