The Italian Navy announced Monday that its carrier-based F-35B Lightning II fighter fleet reached initial operational capability.
Italy is now one of the few nations to operate aircraft carriers. It is the only one in the European Union with a national Carrier Strike Group that has 5th-generation assets. Together with the U.S and the U.K, it constitutes the small nucleus of allies, within NATO, with such capacity.
The initial operating capability now opens up new possibilities for interoperability and interchangeability with allied nations. The primary goal is to achieve full interchangeability of means between navies of equal rank. The Italian Navy is already operating both through the integration of allied ships in the escort group of the national carrier strike group and through the assignment of Italian ships to defend allied aircraft carrier groups.
“With the IOC, the Maritime Component of Defense takes a significant step forward in expressing the ability to project forces from the sea, even in theaters of operation far from the usual gravitational basins, for extended periods of time, ensuring complete interoperability and interchangeability in joint operations with allies and partners: one of the main objectives of the Carrier Strike Group Campaign in the Indo-Pacific,” said Italian Navy Chief Adm. Enrico Credendino, aboard carrier ITS Cavour (550) while the carrier was docked at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, according to Monday’s release.
The Cavour CSG partnered with allied nation ships as part of its escort, both in the past and also for its current deployment. Italian Navy ships have deployed as part of the French Navy Charles De Gaulle CSG. More recently frigate ITS Carabiniere (F 593) was part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group as it carried out Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in the Atlantic Ocean.
The F-35B Lightning II fighter fleet achieved initial operational capability four months ahead of schedule, and comprised a total of 2600 flight hours and over 2700 maintenance interventions. The Italian Navy Gruppo Aerei Imbarcati (GRUPAER – embarked aircraft group) with the support of the 32nd Wing of the Italian Air Force (Amendola), is now able to carry out carrier-based defensive and offensive air, airstrikes and Suppression of Enemy Air Defences missions in remote areas and in complete logistical autonomy with the expeditionary sea-based F-35B capacity, according to the release.
The Italian Navy will now move towards achieving full operational capability, which is expected in the next few years when the delivery to the Armed Forces of all the planned aircraft will be completed.
Both the Italian Navy and Italian Air Force operate the F-35B with a total of 30 aircraft ordered, split equally between the two services. The Italian Air Force also ordered 60 F-35As, with deliveries of the aircraft affected by Lockheed Martin’s current delivery delays. The Italian Air Force has two of its F-35Bs embarked on Cavour as part of the carrier’s air wing, which consists of 15 aircraft –seven AV-8B+, six Italian Navy F-35B, two Italian Air Force F-35B, three NH-90 helicopters and one EH-101 helicopter.
Cavour and frigate ITS Alpino (F594) left Taranto, Italy, on June 1, according to an Italian release. Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Numancia (F83) and French Navy frigate FS Aconit (F713) joined the carrier strike group while it was in the Mediterranean to form the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR). After transiting the Suez Canal, the two Italian Navy ships joined with French Navy frigate FS Forbin (D620) in the Red Sea to provide support to NATO Operation Noble Shield and the EU Operations Aspides and Atalanta, carrying out interactions with coalition assets (CMF) and allied and partner units, including the Dwight D. Eisenhower CSG.
The Cavour CSG then took part in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) multinational exercise Pitch Black, held from July 12 – Aug. 2, and then headed to Guam where it conducted drills with the Abraham Lincoln CSG. While sailing in the waters off the Mariana Islands, the embarked Navy and Air Force F-35Bs successfully launched, for the first time, AIM-120C5 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile) air-to-air missiles against radio-controlled air targets launched from Alpino.
The Cavour CSG drilled with destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105) in the Philippine Sea before arriving in Japan where Italian Navy offshore patrol vessel ITS Raimondo Montecuccoli (P432), which earlier participated in the RIMPAC 2024 and Pacific Dragon 24 exercises in Hawaii, joined the CSG.
The three ships of the Cavour CSG carried out the Noble Raven 24-3 exercise with JMSDF destroyer helicopter carrier Izumo, destroyer JS Onami (DD-111), a submarine and P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), French Navy frigate FS Bretagne (D655), German Navy frigate FGS Baden-Württemberg (F222) and fleet oiler FGS Berlin (A1411) and RAN destroyer HMAS Sydney (DDG42) from Tuesday through Thursday.
The drill comprised of tactical exercises such as anti-air Warfare, anti-submarine warfare, cross decking and replenishment at sea, according to a JMSDF release.
The JMSDF is in the midst of converting Izumo and sister ship JS Kaga (DDH-184) for F-35B operations and have been drawing on the experiences of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, Royal Navy and Italian Navy in operating embarked F-35Bs from big deck ships. It is expected to send Izumo or Kaga to the United States later this year to conduct F-35B trials.
Bretagne, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin and Sydney all took part in the RIMPAC 2024 exercise with Sydney also taking part in Pacific Dragon 2024. The French and German Navy ships are now conducting their respective navies’ Indo-Pacific deployment. Sydney is now carrying out an RAN Regional Presence Deployment, which is the RAN’s routine deployment of its ships to specific Indo-Pacific regions to conduct operational tasks and engagements.
