Lockheed Martin awarded $368.2M to build six F-35s for Italy

Lockheed Martin received a $368.2 million contract to build six F-35 fighter planes for the Italian defense ministry, the Pentagon announced.

Italy will receive five F-35As and one F-35B by 2023, according to a statement from the Defense Department on Thursday.

Italy currently has 15 F-35s in service, with plans to acquire 60 more. Lockheed Martin's facility at Cameri Air Base will undertake the new plane's final assembly and checkout.

The purchase has been a recent source of contention in Italian politics. In the past year, the minority FiveStar Party has sought a temporary halt to new acquisitions, a call amplified by the costs of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

On May 28, Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini confirmed that the purchases will continue.

Last month the 800-foot long Cavour, one of two aircraft carriers in the Italian Navy, completed a two-year, $76 million upgrade to accommodate F-35s, regarded as the most advanced fighter planes in the world.

The work included the addition of a layer of heat-resisting material to the carrier's flight deck, so the downward exhaust of the vertical-takeoff-and-landing F-35B will not melt the deck.

The Cavour will travel to the United States in the summer to receive its first F-35B planes, which currently are in testing phase at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Van Ovost nominated as next Air Mobility Command commander
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 11, 2020
The Air Force announced Thursday that Lt. Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost has been nominated to succeed Gen. Maryanne Miller as Air Mobility Command commander. If Van Ovost's appointment is confirmed, she will obtain a fourth stair and - on Miller's retirement after 39 years - become the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. military. "I am honored and humbled by the nomination to serve as the next commander of Air Mobility Command," Van Ovost said. "I look forward to the opportunity to build up ... read more