In Nordic first, Sweden to send fighter pilots for training in Italy

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated when the U.S. and Sweden signed a defense cooperation agreement to strengthen their military ties. The deal was inked Dec. 5.

MILAN — Sweden will be the first Nordic nation to send more than 100 of its military pilots to train in Italy starting next year, marking a new milestone in the two European countries’ defense cooperation.

The announcement followed the Dec. 4 signature of a 10-year agreement between Gen. Luca Goretti, the chief of staff of the Italian Air Force, and his Swedish counterpart, Maj. Gen. Jonas Wikman.

The document stipulates that for the next decade, the flight training of more than 100 Swedish pilots and a dozen of instructors will be handed over to the Italian air service, with the first batch arriving in the country next month.

Their training process will be stretched across two different sites, with the first stage taking place at the Galatina Air Base in Lecce and the following ones at the International Flight Training School in Sardinia.

“This is a further significant step for the safety of European skies: Finding agreements and synergies between countries that share spaces and orientations is always productive,” Goretti said. “Working with Swedish colleagues will represent a growth opportunity for both countries.”

The International Flight Training School was born out of a collaboration between the Italian Air Force and Leonardo, assisted by Canadian simulator manufacturer CAE. It provides advanced fighter training based on the Italian air pilot syllabus and uses the T-346 integrated training system, based on a fleet of M-346 advanced jet trainers, to simulate flying a wide range of aircraft such as the F-35, Eurofighter and Gripen.

Sweden joins a list of countries that have opted to train their pilots at the school, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Canada, Austria and the United Kingdom.

Sweden, which is still waiting for approval to join NATO, has had a circuitous history regarding the next-generation fighter aircraft it intends to buy or develop. In 2019, it first joined a U.K.-led program as an observer, only to withdraw from it a few years later.

While Stockholm’s neighbors have chosen the F-35, a Swedish decision on the path toward a next-gen fighter is still years away, Aviation Week reported in July . The backbone of the country’s Air Force is currently composed of Saab’s Gripen E aircraft.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Sweden signed a defense cooperation agreement to strengthen their military ties on Dec. 5.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

更正：此前报道有误，误述了美国和瑞典签署旨在加强军事联系的防务合作协议的具体日期。该协议于12月5日签署。

米兰——瑞典将成为第一个从明年开始向意大利派遣 100 多名军事飞行员进行训练的北欧国家，这标志着这两个欧洲国家在国防合作方面迈出了新的一步。

此前，意大利空军参谋长卢卡·戈雷蒂将军与瑞典空军参谋长乔纳斯·维克曼少将于 12 月 4 日签署了一项为期 10 年的协议。

该文件规定，未来十年，100多名瑞典飞行员和十几名教官的飞行训练将移交给意大利空军，第一批人员将于下个月抵达该国。

他们的训练过程将在两个不同的地点进行，第一阶段在莱切的加拉蒂纳空军基地进行，随后的阶段在撒丁岛的国际飞行训练学校进行。

戈雷蒂表示：“这对欧洲空域安全而言是又一个重要步骤：在共享空间和发展方向的国家之间寻求协议和协同效应始终是富有成效的。与瑞典同行合作将为两国带来发展机遇。”

国际飞行训练学校是意大利空军与莱昂纳多公司合作的成果，并得到了加拿大模拟器制造商CAE的协助。该校根据意大利飞行员教学大纲提供先进的战斗机训练，并使用基于M-346高级喷气教练机队的T-346综合训练系统，模拟驾驶F-35、欧洲战斗机和鹰狮等多种飞机。

瑞典加入了选择在该校培训飞行员的国家行列，其中包括沙特阿拉伯、卡塔尔、新加坡、日本、德国、加拿大、奥地利和英国。

瑞典仍在等待加入北约的批准，其在下一代战斗机的采购或研发方面可谓历经波折。2019年，瑞典最初以观察员身份加入英国主导的下一代战斗机项目，但几年后便退出了该项目。

据《航空周刊》7月报道，尽管斯德哥尔摩的邻国选择了F-35，但瑞典在下一代战斗机的选择上仍需数年时间才能做出决定。目前，瑞典空军的主力机型是萨博公司的鹰狮E战斗机。

与此同时，美国和瑞典于12月5日签署了一项防务合作协议，以加强两国的军事联系。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。