The FACO cannot manufacture a wing. and will likely end up assembling F-35s where the wing came from Israel.
FACO means Final Assembly and CheckOut. In other words, it’s where they put all the parts together, not where they make the parts.
During its lifetime, the FACO will be converted to a Maintenance and Upgrade Facility which will then handle more serious maintenance on the F-35 and hardware upgrades.
Spudman,
thank you for trying to enlight me on the FACO, but I am afraid that I know by first hand a thing or 2 (more then the acronym) about the structure in Cameri, so maybe on this particular matter, you should better read then write.
The FACO costed to Italy about 800 million Euro (to superadd to the 1 billion Euro for the partnership in R&D for the program, already spent by Italy and to the effective costs for the acquisition of the a/c), and was presented as an opportunity just not for the final assemblage of the Italian and Dutch F-35, but also as a factory for the production of wings.
An initial contract was signed for about 100 WCT components, and the production already started.
See among the many links available on the internets (:P): http://www.sldinfo.com/the-italian-f-35-faco-a-key-asset-in-the-global-f-35-support-system/
The Italians have the opportunity build up to 800+ wings for the JSF program. They are currently building the WCT (Wing Carry Through) components for the wing and have already delivered three sets supporting USAF F-35s in LRIP 5. They have started production of a Full Wing as well as continued production of WCT in LRIP 6 and 7. They are also adding the build of Outer Wing Box components in LRIP 6 and 7 that will support both USAF and Italian full wings.
Or, if you keep not trusting me or websites like sldinfo.com, visit the offical website of the AMI. I guess you can’t read Italian, but look at the second picture, showing a wing being produced: http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/News/Pagine/IlCapodiSMAvisitalaFACOaCameri_080513.aspx
After that the contract awarded to Israel (again a mere buyer of the a/c off the shelf, not a partner nation) for the production of wings, the same contract Alenia was bidding for, cut the wings to any perspectives for substantiual orders for production at FACO. In the meantime the Netherlands are considering to cut the orders, further making FACO a bad investment. Again and again, your assumption:
Considering all the money that will be coming in from the FACO over the next three decades… I think not.
has no basis.
If you insist that in the FACO no wing could be manufactured at all (and so less money will come in from the partnership), please inform Alenia, the AMI (involved in the structure and showing a wing produced at Cameri on its website, insisting that money still could come in from the production of wings) and the Parliamment, to further backup the ones here that claim that the italian partnership is a no way.
I see that you are trying to support the program from the first pages of the original thread, without any incertitude; but often what you write transpires an american-centric point of view and a certain disregard for the capacities of the involved partner nations, that in the long term will not back up your claims for the absolute need and superiority of this particular weapon system, especially for the partners involved.
Sign In
