Italian F-35 Marks First Delivered Outside US

The first Italian F-35A Lightning II was delivered at the F-35 Final Assembly and Check Out facility in Cameri, Italy, on Dec. 3, marking the first time a Joint Strike Fighter was delivered outside the United States, according to a release. Italy is the sixth country to receive an F-35, after Australia, Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the US. The fighters being assembled and delivered at the Italian facility will go to the country’s air force and navy. Italy’s first two F-35 pilots started training at Luke AFB, Ariz., where F-35As built in Italy will be delivered in 2016. “When Leonardo DaVinci first envisioned human flight as an Italian creation, there is no way he would have imagined what we have here today,” said Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, F-35 Joint Program Executive Officer, in the release. “The F-35 aircraft built here in Cameri will take flight on the wings of Italian craftsmanship, ingenuity, and skill, and will help build the first global fleet of fifth-generation fighters.” (See also: Italy’s F-35A Makes European Debut and Lightning IIs’ Second Italian First.)