C_A_M_2015_05_

The  rst Italian-built F-35A, aircraft AL-1, which will

also be the  rst such jet operated by the Italian Air

Force, prepares for its roll-out from the Cameri FACO

facility on March 12. Lockheed Martin

Italian Lightning II rolled out

First F-35 built outside the US emerges from Cameri plant

T

HE FIRST LOCKHEED Martin

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to be

built outside the US rolled out

of the Cameri fi nal assembly

and check-out (FACO) facility

in Italy on March 12. The

F-35A, constructor’s number AL-1, will

now proceed to additional check-out

activities before its anticipated fi rst fl ight

later this year.

AL-1 is the fi rst of eight aircraft currently

being assembled at Cameri for the Italian

Air Force. The FACO is owned by the

Italian Defense Ministry and is operated

by Alenia Aermacchi in conjunction

with Lockheed Martin. As well as the

initial eight Italian F-35As, the FACO is

responsible for producing all F-35A wings.

The plant will build all Italian F-35As

and F-35Bs, as well as F-35As for the

Netherlands.

Go-ahead for

Dutch JSF buy

The Dutch parliament has approved

the fi rst F-35 Lightning II production

order for the Royal Netherlands Air

Force. The batch of eight jets will be

delivered in 2019.

To date, the RNLAF has received

two F-35As, which were acquired to

enable participation in the US-led

initial operational test and evaluation

(IOT&E) campaign. In early February,

these were moved from Eglin Air

Force Base, Florida to Edwards AFB,

California.

The fi rst eight production F-35As

for the RNLAF will be built at Fort

Worth, Texas, and six will remain with

the multi-national training center at

Luke AFB, Arizona until the end of

the transition process in 2023. The two

test aircraft now at Edwards will also

re-locate to Luke on the completion of

IOT&E.

Following transition to the type,

fi ve aircraft will remain in the US for

continued training and testing, while

the remainder will help populate three

squadrons based in the Netherlands.

A further three batches of eight aircraft

each will be ordered between 2016

and 2018, followed by a fi nal three jets

expected to be purchased in 2019. This

will provide an operational fl eet of 35

aircraft. Anno Gravemaker

XV Squadron anniversary

The Royal Air Force’s No XV (Reserve) Squadron is celebrating its centenary in 2015 with a

specially-marked Tornado GR4, ZA461. During a training sortie over the Scottish Highlands, it

was accompanied by the squadron’s famous MacRobert’s Reply, ZA602/F. Crown Copyright

Tornado tests Taurus

Specially marked ASSTA 3.1 Tornado serial 98+77 was sighted at Manching in late February

conducting a new period of  ight trials with the Taurus KEPD 350 stand-o missile. The image

shows a single inert (blue band) missile being carried on a test  ight. Dr Andreas Zeitler

24 May 2015 http://www.combataircraft.net

NEWS Europe

22-24 Europe C.indd 24 20/03/2015 13:01