The T129 contract for 51 helos is value 1,35 bilion of €

The system ordered from French Air Force are 10 and for Italian Army are 5 (we risk to buy only 3 batteries some years ago for budget trouble) and divert the missile for the six battery for FREMM program.

The first battery for both nation was delivered before dec 08.

from http://www.yourdefencenews.com/oto+melara+successfully+tested+dart+against+simulated+targets_28482.html

Oto Melara successfully tested DART against simulated targets
Thursday, Apr 02, 2009

Within the Strales program, Oto Melara, a Finmeccanica company, has successfully performed very important firing trials of the DART (Driven Ammunition Reduced Time of flight) at the Poligono Interforze Salto di Quirra (PISQ), an Italian inter service firing range located in Sardinia.

The Strales system, currently in the final phase of development under the funding of the Italian Navy, is an anti-air, anti short range missile and anti FIACs based on the installation on the 76 Super Rapid (SR) gun of a Radio Frequency (RF) guidance beam capable to steer a burst of sub-calibre DART projectiles against subsonic and supersonic targets with excellent manoeuvre capability.

This capacity can be extended to all the 76/62 Super Rapid guns in service through the installation of the proper kit which also includes the possibility of a double feeding magazine.

At the presence of high rank officers of the Italian Navy, five DART projectiles (two in single shot and three in a burst) were fired against simulated targets, they successfully entered and followed the guidance beam manoeuvring with the required and expected accuracy.

This important result is a decisive milestone since it has been fired by a complete gun and has proved the capability of a high speed subcalibre projectile to be guided with the highest accuracy.

As a consequence of these firing trials, the first fully operative 76/62 STRALES will be installed on board an Italian Navy ship at the end of the present year, in accordance with the foreseen time schedule.

According to this source Russia helped India Co-Design the IAC’s! Which, is news to me…………..As it was my understanding that Italy (i.e. Finmeccanica) was the major partner in the project.:confused:

Fincantieri (shipyard, Finmeccanica it’s the other holding 😉 ) signed the contract on 2004

Defense News and Jane’s Defence Weekly (JDW) both reported in July/August 2004, that the Ministry of Defence awarded a $30 million contract to Fincantieri’s Naval Vessel Business Unit to help prepare concept, design and implementation plans for the vessel. The company will also provide designs to integrate the propulsion system, engine room layouts and overall validation of systems, besides conducting sea trials.

UAE choose Alenia Aermacchi M346, 48 aircraft, as new advanced trainer

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3963234&c=MID&s=AIR

I think it’s the best solution to stop the development to increment one and instead only 5 order about 20 chopper at the same level without loose the new developed system.

The smallest H/S-92 has a lot of problem with the more simple canadian SAR program CH-148 Cyclone. 😉

When exactly did Italy and Russia use their carriers in “real combat ops”? Pretty much the only “busy” carriers there were the British and French ones in the past 50 years.

For Italy, the Garibaldi was use on Somalia, Kosovo and Afghanistan/Enduring Freedom (AV-8B+ made 9+ hour mission over Astan) plus Lebanon for the landing of the UNIFIL entry force and maritime patrol after the israeli blockade

Royal Navy will be the Royal SHADOW Navy

Since USAF deployed Daedalus Class and decided to share tech with RAF, the need for Navies is no longer present , past Coast guard type operations.

LOL