Giovanni Maduli sent me this picture of the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour (550) he took recently in Fincantieri’s shipyards in Muggiano, near Genoa. The ship, that will be delivered to the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) in 2008, has an overall length of 244 meters and a runway 180m x 14m with a 12° ski jump that will be able to serve 8 V/STOL (Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft such as AV-8B+ Harrier or 12 helicopters, such as the EH-101, NH- 90 or SH-3D. The ship will be fully compatible with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter VTOL variant and will most probably accomodate a mixed force composed by both aircraft and helos.
David Cenciotti is a freelance journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written four books.
On Oct. 27, 2011, with a ceremony at Grottaglie airbase, near Taranto, the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Harrier in Italian service. The AV-8B+ Harriers of the I GrupAer have […]
Footage from aboard aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, cruising towards the Indian Ocean. Before it crossed the Suez Canal on Jan. 26 the carrier battle group “Arromanches,” built around the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de […]
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKE CSG) supports the Great Green Fleet initiative. The USS Eisenhower and the ship of its CSG entered the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar on […]
