Italy green-lights airborne intel platform and approves F-35 facility

Read the part in red

Rome Advances Key Air Platform Programs

Aviation Week & Space Technology Apr 13 , 2009 , p. 30

Andy Nativi
Genoa

Italy green-lights airborne intel platform and approves F-35 facility
Printed headline: Jamms Tomorrow

Italy’s importance as a player in premier military aircraft development continues to grow. The latest sign: Politicians are backing the final assembly of the F-35 in-country. At the same time, they are giving renewed impetus to buying a joint intelligence platform.

Although the parliamentary committees involved have no funding authority, and the votes are nonbinding, the decisions carry political weight.

Some flavor of G550 will provide the basis of Italy’s sigint program, though the prime contractor has yet to be decided. Credit: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES

Parliament has approved the construction of a Lockheed Martin F-35 final assembly and checkout/maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade (FACO/MRO&U) to be built at Cameri AFB. Overall cost is estimated to be €605 million ($792 million). This includes infrastructure and tooling costs, as well as a Lockheed Martin support fee for helping with the setup.

In parallel with the F-35 decision, the parliament also OK’d the Joint Airborne Multisensor Multimission System (Jamms). This is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform cofunded by the air force and RIS, Italy’s equivalent of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. The Jamms program is intended to provide a replacement for a single Alenia G-222VS currently used in this role. The budget for the Jamms program is €280 million, including logistics support for the first five years.

The senate approval is conditional on the signature of an industrial agreement aimed at granting to Italian industry a return in the F-35 proportionate to the participation level. The senators also want an annual report on the program.

The F-35 FACO would also become the cornerstone of a long-term plan to establish an aerospace district involving the military and industry—including Alenia Aeronautica, AgustaWestland and Alenia Aermacchi.

What remains to be determined is who would foot the FACO bill. Finmeccanica has already signaled it is not willing to make the investment, with the costs therefore falling to either the defense or economic development ministry.

The defense ministry says the facility would need to be ready by the end of 2012 and would provide 600 new jobs. The site would also produce Dutch and possibly Norwegian aircraft and would also offer a potential logistics support base. Italy also wants to provide support for U.S. F-35s based in Europe, though this has still to be negotiated by the two governments.

The defense ministry is releasing further details of its participation in the overall program. Its initial estimate of procurement costs totals $12.09 billion covering the purchase of 22 F-35B Stovl (short takeoff/vertical landing) aircraft for the Italian navy, an additional 40 F-35Bs and 69 F-35A for the air force. A further $4.5 billion is estimated to be required for initial logistics support. The air force now plans to form two full F-35B squadrons to be based in Amendola, replacing the AMXs there. Amendola is in southeast Italy and is close to the navy’s proposed F-35B base at Grottaglie in the Puglia region. The F-35As would equip another 3-4 squadrons.

Studies are underway over the feasibility of reducing support and training facilities, by sharing them across the services. While air force officials acknowledge that the F-35B is more expensive and has less range and payload compared with the A model, they say it’s well suited for expeditionary air warfare.

Gen. Daniele Tei, chief of the air staff, notes that deployment of the Tornado fighter bombers to Afghanistan has been hampered by infrastructure issues. “With the F-35B, this kind of problem will be eliminated,” he says.

Nevertheless, the final number of F-35s to be acquired will be decided later, pending the definition of a new defense white paper and by the actual funding.

The ministry says development and production are potentially worth $11 billion to Italian industry, with a further $1.5 billion on offer from the FACO/MRO&U.

The majority of the business will go to Alenia Aeronautica, while parent Finmeccanica is pushing the government and the defense ministry to try to obtain greater involvement for the avionics and electronics companies. Several legislators made strong recommendations in this regard.

In terms of airframe delivery for the Jamms program, the first aircraft is expected to be handed over 36 months after contract signature.

The defense ministry has not told legislators about the system provider or the aircraft integrator, except for the choice of platform—the Gulfstream G550.

Three bidders were originally competing; however, the Boeing offer was discarded as its 737-based proposal was deemed unsuitable.

There are two G550-based offers: Israel Aerospace Industries teamed with several Finmeccanica subsidiaries, and a proposal from Lockheed Martin. The latter bidder may have the edge, since all the key subsystems and sensors are within its realm.

The aircraft will have synthetic aperture surveillance radar, as well as a full signals intelligence-electronic support measures suite. It is also to be equipped with an electro-optic surveillance system.

The planned two Jamms aircraft are to be jointly operated and managed, and will be based in Sigonella, where NATO will build up its ISR capabilities with the Global Hawk UAV.

Sorry, but i can’t find a Lockheed Martin solution for the Italian G550. The Israel Aerospace Industries solution could be MARS2 but what from LM?