- Yes
- No
Description: The F35B is a stealth fifth-generation Fighter-bomber. Its story with Italy began in 2002, when Italy joined the American JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) program. Alongside the Italian air force, the Italian navy was also looking for a replacement for the AV8B, and the VTOl capability of the F35B was the answer. In 2009, The Italian parliament approved the project to build a total of 131 F35s (37 of them were B) in the Cameri facility. Between the Italian air force and the Italian navy, there was a sort of “war” about the number of F35s, since at the start all the F35Bs should have gone to the navy, but the air force was able to ask for and get 15 of those. The Italian navy was very angry about that, and they forced the air force to train on an aircraft carrier. In the event of a war, those 15 F35Bs would have been under the control of the Navy. The first Italian F35B rolled out of the hangar in November 2017, and it flew for the first time on January 11 of the same year. Sometime later, in 2021, the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour was sent to Norkolf in the USA to start the upgrade that made her capable of carrying the F35. After the upgrade, the Cavour stayed some more before returning to Italy for some tests with the American F35B. The first Italian F35 landed on the aircraft carrier on July 31, 2021. Italy was the first country after the USA to operate the F35, and it’s one of the few with a home production of this aircraft. Continuing with its history, Back in 2019, the party in charge at that time reduced, for not very intelligent political reasons, the number of F35 from 131 to 90 (the B were reduced to 30). The Number of F35Bs delivered now is 6 (5 for the Navy and 1 for the Air Force). Like the Air Force F35, they also took part in various joint operations; the most interesting one was aboard the British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth; in that mission were the Italian navy and air force F35B, with British and American F35B. All the Italian F35A and B were upgraded to the latest standard (Block 3F), and they will be upgraded in the future to Block 4 and all the other upgrades. The very good news for the Italian fleet of F35 is that, thanks to the change of government, the commander in chief of the Italian air force pushed for the return to the original number of F35, 131. It’s very likely that the number will increase and return to 131, but we will probably have to wait until next year.
Why it should be in the game: It will be with the Eurofighter the top of the Italian fighter aircraft. It will be very powerfoul and it will be crucial for the Italian TT in the future.
Specifications:
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Wingspan: 10.6 m
Length: 15.6 m
Height 4.6 m
Wing area: 42.7 m2
Maximum speed: 1.6 mach
Operating ceiling: 15,240 m
Range: over 800 km
Propulsion plant: 1 Pratt & Whitney F135 187kN turbofan (with afterburner)
Internal fuel: over 6000 kg
Crew: 1 pilot
Flares and Chaff
Sistems:
AN/APG-81 AESA radar
AN/ASQ-239 Barracuda Electronic Warfare System (Provides Radar Warning Receiver)
AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (Provides Missile Launch Warning)
AN/AAQ-40 Electro-Optical Targeting System
AN/ASQ-242 Communications, Navigation, and Identification
Armament:
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Cannons:
1x 25 mm external gun pod
Bombs
6x GBU-12
6x EGBU-12
6x GBU-31
6x GBU-32 JDAM
8x GBU-39/B
8x GBU-39A/B
8x GBU39B/B
Air To Air Missiles:
4x Aim-120 C-5
4x Aim-120 C-8
4x Aim120 D
4x MBDA Meteor
2x Aim-9X Block II
2x Aim-9X Block III
Air to Ground missiles:
8x GBU53/B
8x SPEAR 3
8X SPEAR EW
6x AARGM-ER
Sources:
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ITALIAN NAVY F-35B
https://aresdifesa.it/missili-amraam-per-diciotto-paesi-tra-cui-litalia/
https://www.difesa.it/OperazioniMilitari/op_intern_corso/Islanda_Air_Policing_Northern_Lightning/GalleriaFoto/Pagine/F35.aspx
https://defence-blog.com/raytheon-secures-344m-deal-for-stormbreaker-smart-bombs/?amp
https://www.difesa.it/EN/Primo_Piano/Pagine/nsa.aspx
https://www.aviation-report.com/primo-appontaggio-di-un-f35b-della-marina-militare-sulla-portaerei-cavour/
F-35, cosa sta facendo Nave Cavour negli Stati Uniti - Startmag
RID - Rivista Italiana Difesa - shownews - Il punto sulle operazioni italiane di Lockheed Martin
AGM-88 HARM - Wikipedia
Funding secured to complete missile integration on UK and Italian F-35 fleets
Italy, UK to complete Meteor, Spear missile integration on F-35 fleets | News | Flight Global
Italy And UK Are Integrating New European Weapons On The F-35 Lightning II - The Aviationist
https://defencenews.quora.com/BAE-Systems-MBDA-to-arm-UK-Italian-F-35-Jets-with-SPEAR-Meteor-Missiles
AvioBlog - Gli F-35A e B italo-britannici potranno utilizzare presto missili METEOR, ASRAAM e SPEAR3
BAE Systems and MBDA to Fit UK and Italian F-35 Fleets With New Missile Systems - Overt Defense
L’Aeronautica vuole riportare gli F-35 a “quota 131” – Analisi Difesa
The Italian Air Force Wants The Next-Gen Fighter And The Original F-35 Quota To Be Restored - The Aviationist
New missile types for British, Italian F-35s – Defense Here
Italian F-35s Will Get AIM-9X Block II Air-To-Air Missiles - The Aviationist
Italian Air Force, Italian Navy F-35B jest conduct austere training on Pantelleria Island - Blog Before Flight - Aerospace and Defense News
Joint but apart: Italian Navy and Air Force settle on F-35B plan
First Two Italian Navy F-35B Returning From The U.S. Land Aboard Cavour Aircraft Carrier - The Aviationist
F35: INTERNATIONAL EXERCISE WITH MARINA, AERONAUTICA AND US MARINE CORPS F-35B AIRCRAFT CONCLUDED - Italian Defence Technologies
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