The Italian air force has accepted its first of 47 Tranche 2 Eurofighters from Alenia Aeronautica.
Performed on 14 November, the hand-over ceremony took place at the service's Grosseto air base, home to its Eurofighter-equipped 4th Wing. Aircraft IS020 is the 20th single-seat Eurofighter to have been built for the Italian air force, which has previously accepted 28 Tranche 1 production aircraft.
One further single-seat example was diverted for delivery to export operator Austria, with a replacement included in Italy's revised Tranche 2 total.
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Tranche 2 deliveries to Italy will continue until 2013, while discussions on the nation's stated Tranche 3 commitment for a further 46 aircraft are continuing, in conjunction with programme partners Germany, Spain and the UK.
Alenia is also leading export activities for the Eurofighter Typhoon in Brazil, Romania and Turkey.