MILITARY ITALIAN F-35A LIGHTNING II
42 | http://www.airinternational.comU
ndoubtedly the most complex,
advanced and often controversial
programme ever been launched in
the history of aviation: an accurate
description of the F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter programme, especially in Italy.
December will mark the 20th anniversary
of the nation’s participation in the
programme following the signing of a
memorandum of agreement for the Concept
Demonstration Phase. Four years later,
Italy joined the System Development and
Demonstration (SDD) phase as a second tierpartner, with the Netherlands. Subsequently,
Italy was the fi rst nation to build and activate
a Final Assembly and Checkout facility,
where the F-35 Lightning II is assembled.
Italy subsequently fl ew the fi rst F-35 aircraft
produced outside the United States. Italy was
also the fi rst nation in the world (excluding
the United States) to introduce the new
fi ghter into service. The fi rst examples arrived
at Amendola Air Base on December 12, 2016,
destined for 13° Gruppo (13th Squadron),
one of the component squadrons with the
resident 32° Stormo (32nd Wing).Eighteen months on, thanks to the
cooperation of the Italian MoD and the
Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) and a
discussion with Colonel Davide Marzinotto,
32° Stormo’s commander, AIR International
was granted clearance to gain fi rst-hand
experience of the progress made by the Italian
F-35 fl eet.
Colonel Marzinotto is a former AMX and
F-2000 pilot. He commanded 20° Gruppo,
the Italian F-2000 operational conversion
unit, assignment to the F-35 Joint Program
O ce in Crystal City, Virginia, prior toQuinta generazione ItalianaQuinta generazione ItalianaQuinta generazione Italiana
Troupe Azzurra