ANDY NATIVI / GENOA
Italy has moved closer to joining the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) systems development and demonstration (SDD) phase, with Italian defence minister Antonio Martino confirming the government has given an initial green light to continue negotiations into the final stage. Italy still needs to find $1 billion for its 4% stake in the programme, however, while its industrial role needs to be finalised.
Italy does not have the funds in its defence budget for the 4% stake, but one possibility is for the country's industry and research ministries to provide funding for other programmes to free up defence money - $100 million per year for 10 years.
A basic agreement on industrial participation has been reached, with the package being reviewed by the Italian armament director Giampaolo Di Paola. All the main Italian aerospace companies are set to participate in the programme. Alenia Aeronautica will be primarily involved in wing production, Fiat Avio will receive engine work, Galileo Avionica will provide avionics expertise and Elettronica will receive electronic warfare work.
Before a memorandum of understanding can be signed, the programme will probably need to be submitted to the Italian parliament for review and be endorsed by the defence committees of the Senate and Chamber.
Italy has not indicated how many JSFs it is likely to order, but it is expected to be more than 100. The Italian air force wants the JSF to replace its Alenia/Embraer AMX strike aircraft while the navy is to replace its Boeing AV-8B Harrier IIs with the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant. The air force could also select the STOVL version to create a joint force with the navy, mirroring the UK's plans.
Source: Flight International
