The Aviationist » Italian Air Force

The final chapter in the operational career of the legendary F-104 unfolded at Grazzanise Air Base on Oct. 31, 2004. Of the 15 nations that operated one of the 2,580 Lockheed F-104 Starfighters p...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/10/31/final-operational-flight-f-104/

The Fighterbomber Telegram channel, known for its ties to the Russian Air Force, shared routine images of Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons flying over the Baltic Sea. These relatively ordin...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/10/18/photos-of-italian-eurofighters-taken-by-russian-pilots-in-the-baltics-spark-sensationalist-reactions/

The State Department approved the FMS to Italy of an unspecified number of EA-37B aircraft, two years after the MoD first mentioned the intention of acquiring the Electronic Attack system. The U....

https://theaviationist.com/2024/10/08/u-s-approves-ea-37b-foreign-military-sale-to-italy/

The Italian MoD is still continuing the heavy modernization efforts of the recent years, with the announcement of the acquisition of 25 F-35s and 20 M-346s in addition to the already announced 24...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/09/18/italy-additional-f-35s-and-m-346s-defense-planning/

After more than 40 years, the Frecce Tricolori will replace their aging MB-339s with the M-346 Advanced Jet Trainer, reverting the decision to equip the team with the M-345 High Efficiency Traine...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/09/12/new-m-346-jet-for-the-frecce/

The Italian Air Force released the first photos of the new MQ-9A Block 5 delivered last year, shortly after the announcement of a possible Foreign Military Sale to double the RPA fleet. The Itali...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/09/01/italian-mq-9-block-5/

The IOC (Initial Operational Capability) was achieved after 2,600 flight hours, as the joint F-35B component is embarked aboard Cavour aircraft carrier currently involved in her first Indo-Pacifi...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/08/28/italian-navy-declares-ioc/

This FMS will allow Italy to double its MQ-9A fleet, completing the potentiation of the Predator RPA fleet and the modernization to the Block 5 configuration. The U.S. government has approved the...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/08/16/italy-mq-9-block-5-fms/

50 years ago, the Panavia Tornado took to the skies for the first time, inaugurating a long, action-packed and impressive career, including 42 years of service with the Italian Aeronautica Milita...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/08/14/tornado-50-italian-air-force-service/

Aug. 14, 2024, marks the 50th anniversary of the Panavia Tornado’s first flight, the largest European aeronautical cooperation program with over 950 aircraft built. The Panavia Tornado, the Eur...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/08/14/tornado-turns-50-the-history/

On this day, 106 years ago, eleven biplanes took off from the Italian North East for a 1200 km round trip to reach the capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Wien, and drop propaganda leaflets w...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/08/09/flight-over-vienna/

The Italian Air Force has emphasized since last year that it requires more F-35A and F-35B jets. Public data indicates that it may eventually acquire 20 additional Lightning II aircraft. Last yea...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/07/26/italian-air-force-f-35-fleet/

The Italian Air Force has confirmed that the pilot was successfully rescued. A Eurofighter Typhoon belonging to the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) crashed, for unknown reason, in the Do...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/07/24/italian-eurofighter-crashes-in-australia-during-ex-pitch-black-2024/

The 2024 tour marks the team’s return to North America after more than 30 years, reminiscent of their “Columbus” mission in 1992 and the first USA-Canada tour in 1986. While participating i...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/07/23/frecce-tricolori-north-american-tour-midpoint/

After suspending the acquisition of the KC-46 Pegasus, Italy is now looking again for a new tanker, possibly from another vendor. A couple of weeks after halting the acquisition of the KC-46 Pega...

https://theaviationist.com/2024/07/23/italian-air-force-seeks-replacement-for-kc-767/