First F-35B Assembled Outside Of The U.S. Makes First Flight In Italy

October 24, 2017 F-35, Military Aviation
David Cenciotti

“BL-01” is the first Italian F-35B STOVL jet.

On Oct. 24, the first F-35B, the Short Take-Off Vertical Landing variant of the the F-35 Lightning II, the first assembled internationally, flew its first sortie from Cameri airfield, home of the Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility, in northwestern Italy.

The aircraft, designated BL-1, is the first F-35B assembled internationally. The aircraft should be delivered to the Italian MoD soon. Then, after a series of “confidence flights” from Cameri, an Italian pilot will fly the first F-35B jet to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, to conduct required Electromagnetic Environmental Effects certification. The next Italian F-35B aircraft is scheduled for delivery in November 2018.

Based on the previous LM releases, the aircraft should be destined to the Italian Navy. However, for the moment it was not given any specific unit markings.

The Italian F-35B was escorted by a Eurofighter Typhoon during its first flight on Oct. 24, 2017. (Image credit: Simone Bovi).

The Cameri FACO has the only F-35B production capability outside the United States. It will assemble the 60 Italian F-35As and 30 F-35Bs (for a total of 90 aircraft to be procured by the Italian Air Force and Navy), will build 29 F-35A for the Royal Netherlands Air Force and was selected in December 2014 as the European F-35 airframe Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade center for the entire European region.

In spite of some initial internal criticism and threatened cuts, F-35s will replace the Italian Air Force ageing Tornado and AMX attack planes and the Italian Navy AV-8B aircraft.

Image credit: Simone Bovi

About David Cenciotti
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David Cenciotti is a 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 five books and contributed to many more ones.

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3 Comments

  2. Glad to see the Marina Militare deploying the best production fighter in the world. In many ways perhaps the best fighter in the world period. F-35 has many more advances over the older F-22.

    Like I’ve been saying, Italy will have the most powerful air force in continental Europe after they field their full complement of Lightning IIs. An air force more powerful than those of Germany and France. And Russia too where no stealth fighter is flying or will be flying for the next few decades. That’s a force capability to be mighty proud of!

    If you don’t have stealth you will be shot down first – period and end of story. F-35 will overwhelmingly dominate any sky it flies in. Those in denial can go jump in a lake! You don’t know what you’re talking about. For those that do understand, well, there’s no need to explain.

    Keep going Italy! Secure NATO’s Southern flank from Russia’s obvious aggressive intentions.

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