F-35B, first exemplar delivered to the Italian Navy

Yesterday the first was delivered to the Italian defense F-35B STOVL (Short Take-Off / Vertical Landing) Lightning II assembled outside of the United States. The aircraft, intended to be equipped for the Navy, was entirely built in the factory FACO (Final Assembly and Check Out) of Cameri.

The F35B aircraft delivered to the Navy, after a series of test flights carried out in Cameri, will be transferred by an Italian pilot to the Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland (USA), to obtain the necessary Electromagnetic Environmental Effects certification.

With the production of the first model of F-35B, a more complex variant of the aircraft from the technological point of view, the Italian FACO demonstrates the capabilities and quality of the Italian aerospace industry and confirms itself as a center of excellence for F-35s in Europe.

The F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation fighter that combines the most advanced low-observability stealth technology with the speed and agility of maneuver typical of fighters, sensor fusion for more efficient information acquisition and management. , network operational capabilities and advanced support functions.

The aircraft is an aircraft with a multi-role capability, the first model delivered to the Armed Forces in the short take-off variant and vertical landing (STOVL-Short Take Off Vertical Landing), for use both on specific Naval Units and in the case of slopes particularly austere.

The F-35B manages to exceed the speed of sound when in flight and then manages to perform a vertical landing in extremely confined spaces. This is because it manages to direct the thrust force of the engine downwards, while the extra lift propellers installed under the cockpit and the wings help to produce a vertical thrust of 40.000 pounds.

265 F-35 have been built and delivered all over the world and are intended to replace aircraft of previous generations in at least 12 nations. The Italian F-35A and B will replace the Panavia Tornado, AMX and AV-8B aircraft currently in service at the Italian Air Force and the Italian Navy. The event is the result of a solid collaboration between the Italian Ministry of Defense, the industrial partner Leonardo and Lockheed Martin.

The Italian FACO is managed by Leonardo in collaboration with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics through a team of more than 800 qualified professionals involved in the assembly of the F-35A variants, conventional takeoff and landing, and F-35B STOVL and in the production of wings for the F-35A.

In the 2014 the FACO has been selected by the US Department of Defense as a center for Heavy Airframe Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade in Europe. The plant covers an area of ​​40 hectares and includes 22 buildings for a total of over one million square meters for production, with 11 assembly stations and five areas equipped for various maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade activities. .

To date, nine F-35As and one F-35B have been delivered by FACO di Cameri, the only production site for the F-35B located outside the USA; four of these aircraft are currently at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, for the international pilot training program, and five are at Amendola.

The FACO of Cameri also plans to produce 29 F-35A for the Dutch Air Force (RNLAF) and has the ability to meet the demands of other European partners in the future.

The Italian FACO is also producing 835 set of wing boxes for the F-35A to support all the customers of the program.

The 7 September 2015 the first F-35 produced in Italy at the FACO of Cameri made the first international flight in the history of the F-35 program and in February 2016 was the first F-35 ° to realize a transatlantic flight. In December 2016 the first F-35 of the Italian Air Force arrived at the 32 ° Stormo of Amendola, the first base in the country to host the aircraft.

The Italian Air Force has already passed the 1.700 flight hours with its fleet of F-35A.

source and images Italian Ministry of Defense

 

F-35B, first exemplar delivered to the Italian Navy