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BELOW: F-35A AL-01 was the rst
international jet built outside the US, at
the Cameri Final Assembly and Check-
Out (FACO) facility. It’s seen here arriving
at Patuxent River on February 5, 2016.
Lockheed Martin
ABOVE LEFT: Italy became the rst air force
in Europe to eld the Joint Strike Fighter
operationally when its 32° Stormo declared
initial operational capability on March 1,
- Lockheed Martin
LEFT: Italian F-35B, BL-01, arrives at NAS
Patuxent River in January 2018. Dane
Wiedmann/US Navy
AIM-120C-5 air-to-air missiles that will
allow them to perform the mission.
As well as F-35A operations, 32° Stormo
carries out operational, training and technical
activities for the air arm’s Predator remotely
piloted aircraft fleet and trains unmanned
aerial vehicle pilots in the MB339.
F-35B
The first Italian-built F-35B conducted
its maiden flight at Cameri on October
25, 2017. The Lightning II, serial number
MM7451 (c/n BL-01), had been rolled out
from the FACO on May 5. The aircraft
operated in STOVL mode and hovered
over the runway for the first time during its
third and final acceptance flight on October
- This aircraft ferried to Patuxent River
on January 31, 2018, for electromagnetic
environmental effects certification for three
months at the Integrated Battlespace
Simulation and Test Facility. F-35