Signature of the implementation agreement follows on from the ‘Long History, Long Future: Tornado to Tempest’ Statement of Intent’ signed at RAF Marham last May. It agrees the financial, legal and airworthiness principles for the mutual cross-maintenance and cross-servicing on common platforms, aircraft, and weapons systems.
Once established RAF engineers will be able to perform servicing and limited cross-maintenance activities on Italian Air Force aircraft, and vice versa, during exercises and operational Air Policing worldwide.
The move is part of wider NATO Agile Combat Employment initiatives to improve nations’ mutual operational advantage by operating better together.
The agreement was signed at Amendola Air Base on behalf of the RAF by Director Support RAF, Air Vice-Marshal Shaun Harris, and for the Italian Air Force by Generale Michele Oballa, ITAF Logistics Command.
The ability to interoperate on the ground, providing engineering support to NATO partners, is enhancing the agility and speed of response of our Combat Air forces. This important agreement with Italian Air Force colleagues will strengthen Typhoon and F-35 interoperability, and lay the foundations for Global Combat Air Programme cross-servicing.
Over the next 12 months, the RAF and ITAF will jointly develop, exercise and validate the technical and administrative processes and procedures to achieve full operational capability for both Typhoon and F-35 in 2025.
