Hi, i’ve read an article on an italian magazine regarding this class o patrol boat…
there were the same photos and schemaics…if you want i can pass you the italian version maybe with a english resume…send me a pm…

But you are joking an aircraft need absolutely an apu…
If the integrated drive generator of one engine fails you can still flying safe and also dispacth the aicraft with a similar trouble, if you have not an apu and one idg fails you have an aircraft on ground since the idg replacement….
The APU does not only generate compressed air for conditioning and engine starting but also generate electric power for all the system even electric driven hydraulic pumps..
So if you lost one IDG when you are flying you can start the apu and carry on the mission…
But someone have worked for instance in an airline???
The aircraft have to fly always and more redundancy you have and more are the failure that the aircraft can sustain being still airworthiness…
The same concept are applied to the damage that can be taken in a warzone area…

Are you sure? Rivolto was nevere used as homebase of AMX.
It’s the homebase of PAN if you have seen 3 amx on rivolto they were here only as fwd deploy.
On the other hand i agree that the budget of italian air force is really low (but this year it will be a small increase) but it’s not an unarmed forced.
For example in 1999 we dropped more than 2000 bombs/missile on kosovo.

Italy was not even conceived by the rusian for a simple reason.
Why spend division and aiplane try to conquering the padan’s plain.
After crossing the fortified region of friuli you will have to run all thru that plain and at the end you will find the alps that separate italy from france.
Italy will have more than 2-3 days to prepare the defebce since invasin force had to cross austria and/or yugoslavia.
Italy will be conquered after the soviets had won on teh german front….
So it doesn’t make sense for the soviets to distract forces from the main front.
But we have to consider also the french nuclear arsenal that probably could stop the soviet at the rhine becuase french declared openly that an invasion of france will bring to a strategical exchange of nuclear weapon….

Cliff u will have some big problems with a nh 90 on visby corvette, otherwise the a 109 not fit all the role but is an honest lightweight helicopter.

To Funkycartel in belgium was a mistake of the 80’s that a lot of company in the world had done, tell me a company that produce miltary stuff that never “pushed” some govern to buy its products…

Few month ago i readed on an italian defence newspaper that if an italian production line will be setup it will produce also the netherland airplanes, and the dutch will receive the central maintenance facility.

Shiplover the airplane in the photo is not a korean T/A-50, but a taiwanese Ching Kuo….
Regarding the hook most military aircraft have it, it’s used for emergency arrest on runaway that have arrestor wire at the end, but is not capable as a naval hook..
The hook of this kind cannot resist the stress of naval landing are built as a one shot oppurtunity to stop the plane, in such case the structure must be seriusly controlled.