(by Andrea Pinto) The Italian land-air defense, assured by missiles #Aspide has now 40 years and will end its operational cycle at the end of 2020. The major states had, wisely, planned a budget of around 545 million spread up to the 2031, for a new integrated and interoperable weapon system.
Defense Minister Elisabetta #Trenta on the "order" of Vice Premier Luigi #Di Maio, however, last year did not fund 15 million euros for 2018 and 30 million for 2019 for the modernization of the Italian missile defense system .
The program that suffers and has been "quashed" is #Camm-Er (Common Anti-air Modular Missile - Extended Range) which had been approved by the Gentiloni government.
The Camm-Er weapon system is a product of Mbda, the British world leader in missiles, 25% owned by #Leonardo. It provides complete protection against any air target, known or planned, and is the most common solution for different platforms and services. It has a modular design that allows use in all weather conditions and the cost benefit of sharing missile reserves between the air force, navy and army.
These new-generation missiles offer a wide range of operations and the possibility of concentrating different armaments in a limited space thanks to their compactness. Finally, the Soft Vertical launch and Turn-Over systems guarantee 360 ° coverage ”.
The lack of funding for the program will certainly also reflect on the national induced. The La Spezia factory and the connected site at Aulla, the latter located within the area of the Advanced Marine Ammunition Center (CIMA) of the Italian Navy, are affecting the lack of "order". #MBDA, according to rumors, has already made it known that it cannot guarantee the approximately 120 recruitments envisaged in Italy.
F-35
Apparently, after this last measure, the one who will suffer most will be the Air Force, whose "main" task, not surprisingly, is the "National Air Defense". Task that involves the use of high-tech means such as the F-35. Another multi-year program that the M5S ever liked and that the Minister Trenta would like to review and maybe expand its acquisition. Recent embarrassment was the late payment of around 389 million euros to Lockeed Martin, an American company leader in the multinational program.
Ninety F-35s will replace, in the short to medium term, about 240 aircraft including Tornado, AMX and AV8 - now at the end of their operational life. The F-35 is a fifth generation aircraft necessary both for its undoubted operational capabilities and for the ability to communicate with other allied partners with a common and net-centric platform.
On March 12, the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Alberto Rosso, in hearing the Defense Commission had launched a series of heartfelt appeals: <on a political level, the number of aircraft authorized in this first phase is 28 # F-35, we have 11 and a half, now we are waiting ”. "This aircraft is the future, any slowdown or decline in the number would be worrying not only for us but also for the national industry given the economic induced that the program brings">>.
The F-35 issue was also discussed at the Supreme Defense Council. The highest military assembly in the Republic has deepened the status of the process of reform and modernization of the National Military Instrument and has underlined the character of continuity, including financial, which must necessarily characterize the modernization programs that develop over particularly long time horizons.
Italy, still playing on the F-35 program, would lose more than it would save, because about 80 companies in our country are involved in the project, the Cameri plant was chosen as a logistics and maintenance hub and the whole operation should be general jobs initially estimated between 3.586 and 6.395 units. The economic return, at the end of the games, will cancel, over time, the expense incurred for the acquisition of all 90 F-35.
P1HH HammerHead
As reported by StartMagazine there is no lack of confirmations on the uselessness of the program #P1HH HammerHead aimed at creating a high-performance reconnaissance UAV, a program created on the private initiative of #Piaggio Aerospace to meet an operational requirement of the United Arab Emirates which, through the sovereign fund Mubadala, had finalized the purchase of the historic Ligurian company , also for the purchase of a maritime patrol version of the P-180 Avant.
The P-1HH program has dragged itself among more than a technical ordeal (an off-track landing and a crash in the water in front of the Trapani Birgi base) and an economic order (Mubadala has not recapitalized waiting for state funds). The United Arab Emirates have substantially withdrawn from the program, also because the AM that, by the will of the previous Government, had assumed the burden of certification of the aircraft, wanted to focus on the 2HH version, heavily revised and corrected with respect to 1HH judged to be little performing and cut for export requirements, assigning Leonardo a crucial role in program management.
The current government seems to want to get out of the impasse, with the Piaggio unions demanding a government intervention to rescue the company, releasing around 250 million for the completion of the certification (around 70 million) and for the supply of eight aircraft (those that were planned for the UAE) of which you are already substantially built and waiting to be completed. The AM insists on not wanting drones considered useless and also plays the EUROMAL card, a multinational program aimed at creating a drone of similar but not equal capacity to those that were planned for P2HH.