Italy has outlined plans to acquire six new maritime patrol aircraft capable of performing anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare (ASW/ASuW) missions.
Detailed in the country’s latest multi-year military spending document, the platforms – which it refers to as Maritime Multi-Mission Aircraft, or M3A – are intended to fill the capability gap left by the 2017 retirement of the air force’s Breguet Atlantique fleet.
Although Italy operates four ATR P-72As – a modified version of the twin-turboprop airliner – in a maritime surveillance role, these lack the offensive capabilities of a dedicated ASW/ASuW platform.
Rome has allocated €592 million ($688 million) for the acquisition over the 2027-2030 period, the document states.
It intends that the M3A will perform multiple roles including ASW, ASuW, mine warfare, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance, and electronic warfare.
Additionally, Italy plans to invest €2.4 billion in the period to 2036 on unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) for the air force.
The document provides little detail on the nature of the platforms involved, but says: “This programme aims to equip the Italian air force with modern UAV systems, with kinetic capabilities, capable of carrying out new missions and of being used in the very short term as capability enhancers to implement and test a new command and control architecture.”
Elsewhere, the document also appears to reveal that a Gulfstream aircraft has been selected as the long-term replacement for a mixed fleet of Dassault business jets used for medical evacuations.
At present, the air force operates two Falcon 50s and a trio of Falcon 900EXs in the role, but studies have concluded that their increasing age is making their continued use too costly.
Last year’s planning document indicated a plan to replace the Falcons with a single type but offered no details on the aircraft selected.
However, the latest spending plan also includes an entry related to the acquisition of a “G650-class full-motion flight simulator for training flight crews for the VC-650A emergency medical transport fleet”.
Gulfstream has ended production of the G650/ER and transitioned to the newer G700 and G800 models.
Italy is already acquiring a fleet of G550s to serve in a variety of surveillance, airborne early warning and electronic warfare roles.
Also of note is the continued ambition to augment the air force’s aerial refuelling capability through the acquisition of two new tankers. Italy’s current fleet comprises four Boeing KC-767As.
