A fleet of F-35 fighter jets. Photo, Lockheed Martin..
The Italian government has budgeted 7 billion euros ($7.79 billion) for the acquisition of 25 additional F-35 fighter jets in 2024.
If approved by the parliament, the procurement will expand the Italian Air Force’s F-35 fleet to 115.
Also included is the purchase of engines, equipment and logistics support until 2035, il Giornale reported, citing a defense budget document.
Italian F-35 Fleet.
A total of 90 F-35s are already on order by Rome, including 60 conventional takeoff F-35As for the Italian Air Force and 15 short takeoff vertical landing F-35Bs each for the Italian Air Force and the Italian Navy.
The additional batch includes 15 F-35As for the Italian Air Force and five F-35Bs each for the two services.
The overall defense procurement of 9.3 billion euros ($10.3 billion) includes an investment of 506 million euros ($563 million) for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), an increase over the 271 million euros ($301 million) invested in 2023, according to Defense News.
The GCAP is a next-generation fighter jet program, comprising Italy, the UK, and Japan.
Additional Spending.
Additionally, 50 million euros ($55 million) has been budgeted to adapt Italy’s new Landing Helicopter Dock, the Trieste, to host F-35Bs.
It also reveals that Italy has added 690 million euros ($767 million) to the ongoing Eurofighter program fund for the purchase of 24 fourth-tranche jets to replace 26 first-tranche aircraft, which are set to retire by 2029.
Overall, the country’s 2024 defense spending will increase to 20.85 billion euros ($23 billion), up from 19.56 billion euros ($22 billion) in 2023.
