A key announcement was the Italian government’s decision to expand its planned procurement by an additional 25 aircraft, including 15 F-35A and 10 F-35B variants. This brings Italy’s total order to 115 units.
Lockheed Martin also confirmed that formal discussions are ongoing with three other European countries. In addition to previously mentioned Portugal and Spain, Austria has now entered talks regarding future acquisition options.
Austria has been working for several years on enhancing its military aviation capabilities. Among the options under consideration is replacing its Eurofighter fleet, with the F-35 Lightning II identified as one potential successor, following Switzerland’s example.
Despite being of American origin, the F-35 is increasingly becoming a European-made platform. This is due to progress in local component production across Europe.
Germany’s Rheinmetall supplies centre fuselage modules for each F-35 aircraft. Finnish company Patria is expected to announce developments in producing forward fuselage sections within days.
In Belgium, preparations are nearing completion for the start of control system component deliveries. These contributions, along with ongoing deliveries and the final assembly line located in Cameri, Italy, mean that a significant proportion of each F-35 produced for European users is now manufactured by European industry.
