The visit to the F-35 - FACO / MRO & U [1] regional hub in Cameri (NO) has just ended by a Swiss delegation, led by Defense Minister Viola Amherd and accompanied by the director of armaments Martin Susionegger.
The delegation was welcomed by the general of the army corps Luciano Portolano, general secretary of defense and national director of armaments, who, in the first phase of the meeting, after having greeted the Minister of Defense, the honorable Guido Crosetto, illustrated to Minister Amherd the organizational features of the 5th generation F-35 international program and the organization of the trivalent pole of Cameri, one of the two realities in the world outside the United States (the other is in Japan) and unique in Europe.
In the initial briefing it was illustrated how at the Piedmontese plants - assembly center and final verification of the F-35 program - about a third of the wing assemblies are already produced for the entire need of the international program, the aircraft for Italy and Holland are assembled and the most significant inspections are carried out for European countries, starting with Norway, whose first aircraft began the scheduled checks and maintenance at the beginning of July.
Subsequently, the Swiss delegation visited the production and maintenance lines, where it was able to experience first-hand the technological and qualitative level of the management of the latest generation systems in Italy. The Program already counts 16 nations in various capacities, not counting the countries that are asking to be able to equip themselves with the aircraft, and therefore already has an active role in European and transatlantic cooperation.
During the visit, the importance of the trivalent pole of Cameri for the Euro-Mediterranean area became clear. For Italy, the plant in the province of Novara represents a happy confirmation of the strategic and far-sighted choice of participating in the Joint strike fighter program from the very beginning, also due to the significant repercussions from a technological, industrial and employment point of view. The gen. Portolano then underlined to the Minister the specific weight of Italy in the international program - also from the point of view of operational experience. Italy, in fact, has participated since the dawn of the F-35 program and the Air Force and the Navy, with the United States and Japan are currently the only ones to use both the A version (CTOL - conventional take-off and landing). ) than B (STOVL - short take-off and vertical landing).
At the end of the visit, Minister Amherd said she was absolutely impressed by the excellent organization and professionalism employed in the management of the very modern industrial processes. You also added that cooperation with Italy, starting with the F-35 program, will certainly improve interoperability with the other European Armed Forces.
Switzerland's decision to purchase the F-35s came in June 2021, following the announcement by the Swiss Federal Council on the choice of aircraft in the competition to renew the Confederation's fighters. Therefore, the transalpine country, last September signed an agreement for the purchase of the F-35, for a total value of 6,25 billion dollars. The contract provides for the purchase of 36 aircraft with conventional take-off and landing, intended to replace the national fleets of F / A-18 Hornet and F-5 Tiger between 2027 and 2030. Excluding the initial aircraft, assembled in the USA and destined to remain on the American continent to support the training of Swiss pilots, up to 28 of the remaining F-35s will benefit from the advantages of production and delivery directly in Europe, in Italy, in Cameri.
