MILITARY ITALIAN F-35A LIGHTNING II
46 | http://www.airinternational.comThe ALIS also possesses the ability to send
data from the systems on board the aircraft
while still in fl ight, but this is an option that
at present is not considered relevant by the
Aeronautica Militare, though it may be useful
during combat operations. ALIS o ers many
possible functions, but these are all optional to
the user and is not obligatory for every aircraft
to be connected daily to the system, which is
actually a function of the operator’s policy.
For various reasons, if a unit or an air force
decides to disconnect itself from the ALISnetwork for a week or for a month, nothing
signifi cant would occur. In the extreme, a user
could decide to completely disconnect from
the ALIS. Certainly, the system would not be
updated while the aircraft is disconnected,
but similar to a home computer, even without
updates or daily dialogues, it will continue to
function as before.
At the same time, ALIS includes an
option that allows the operator to send the
manufacturer data relative to the operational
aspects of the aircraft’s use, alternatively theoperator can opt not to send the data to the
manufacturer. Currently, the Aeronautica
Militare only utilises the ALIS system’s
technical and logistical support component.
The strength of the ALIS is, however, its
ability to collect data and information
from all the aircraft around the world,
exponentially accelerating the amount of
experience available to every single F-35
unit. The advantage of this situation can be
appreciated when you consider that just fi ve
aircraft are currently in service at Amendola,
which have accumulated a modest number
of fl ying hours to date. However, the global
fl eet is now approaching 300 aircraft, which
have fl own more than 130,000 hours.
Are there any weaknesses in the ALIS?
Perhaps the potential vulnerability to
cyberattacks, but it remains the responsibility
of Lockheed Martin and the operators located
around the world to ensure the network
remains secure and reliable.
At Amendola, technical support is managed
by Aeronautica Militare personnel, who since
March 2016 have been regularly posted to
Eglin Air Force Base, home of the fi rst F-35
Integrated Training Center, which undertakes
training of engineers from all nations
participating in the programme. At the end of
each course at Eglin, personnel return to 32°
Stormo to complete their preparation through
an on-the-job training phase, which was
initially conducted at Luke.
Technician qualifi cation is structured into
three progressive phases: the fi rst permits
work under the supervision of a specialistTOP LEFT: The F-35A cockpit is dominated by
the large touch screen display with only a few
switches, a side stick controller and the throttle.
TOP RIGHT: An F-35A taxis out from a shelter.
BELOW: Two F-35As taxiing at Amendola
before an evening mission.