Italy names Sicily air base as first F-35 pilot school outside US

ROME — Italy has formally announced an air force base in Sicily is to become the first F-35 training school outside the United States, reflecting a growth in demand for pilot training after fresh orders of the jet in Europe.

The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and constructor Lockheed Martin will oversee the readying of the training center at Trapani-Birgi Air Base, with initial ground training to be offered by December 2028 and the completion of a “Lightning Training Centre” by July 2029, the Italian defense ministry said.

With a €112.6 million ($131.4 million) price tag to be footed by the Italian taxpayer, the center will offer two full mission simulators, the ministry added.

The advent of the school will coincide with the Italian Air Force turning Trapani-Birgi into its third base for hosting its own F-35s, meaning the base will have one Italian F-35 squadron and a squadron dedicated to international students.

Italy’s existing F-35 bases are at Amendola and Ghedi.

The ministry said the new center “responds to the growing demand for training driven by the increased involvement of NATO and European nations in the (F-35) program.”

It added that Italy was keen to host the school, citing a “clear and strong political will to strengthen the strategic position of Italy inside the program,” adding that Trapani would be “the first Pilot Training Center for the F-35 outside the U.S.”

Italian defense giant Leonardo had been chosen by Lockheed Martin as its partner in the construction of the school, the ministry said, following the cooperation by the two firms in the construction of Italy’s Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul, and Upgrade (MRO&U) hub for F-35 jets at Cameri air base in northern Italy.

Cameri has handled the final assembly of F-35 jets for Italy and the Netherlands and now offers maintenance to Europe-based jets. Co-run with Lockheed Martin and the F-35 JPO, the center has serviced Italian, Norwegian and Dutch F-35s, and last year a U.K.-based American F-35 flew in for servicing.

The siting of the school in Italy also follows the steady progress of Italy’s jet pilot training capabilities for international students. The Italian Air Force-run school at Decimomannu on the Italian island of Sardinia now hosts 22 M-346 training jets and 40 instructors and has trained pilots from countries including Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada the U.K. and Saudi Arabia.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——意大利正式宣布，西西里岛的一个空军基地将成为美国以外第一个F-35战斗机训练学校，这反映出在欧洲新订购该型战机后，对飞行员培训的需求不断增长。

意大利国防部表示，F-35联合项目办公室（JPO）和制造商洛克希德·马丁公司将负责特拉帕尼-比尔吉空军基地训练中心的准备工作，预计将于2028年12月开始提供初步地面训练，并于2029年7月完成“闪电训练中心”的建设。

该中心耗资 1.126 亿欧元（1.314 亿美元），由意大利纳税人买单，该部补充说，中心将提供两个完整的任务模拟器。

这所学校的成立恰逢意大利空军将特拉帕尼-比尔吉空军基地改建为第三个驻扎其F-35战斗机的基地，这意味着该基地将拥有一个意大利F-35战斗机中队和一个专门为国际学生设立的中队。

意大利现有的 F-35 基地位于阿门多拉和盖迪。

该部表示，新中心的建立“是为了应对北约和欧洲国家越来越多地参与（F-35）项目所带来的日益增长的培训需求”。

声明还补充说，意大利热衷于承办这所学校，并指出“意大利有明确而强烈的政治意愿来加强其在该项目中的战略地位”，还补充说，特拉帕尼将成为“美国以外第一个F-35飞行员训练中心”。

意大利国防部表示，在两家公司合作在意大利北部卡梅里空军基地建设意大利F-35战斗机的维护、修理、大修和升级（MRO&U）中心之后，意大利国防巨头莱昂纳多被洛克希德·马丁公司选为该学校建设的合作伙伴。

卡梅里空军基地曾负责意大利和荷兰F-35战机的最终组装，现在也为欧洲的F-35战机提供维护服务。该基地与洛克希德·马丁公司和F-35联合项目办公室（JPO）共同运营，已为意大利、挪威和荷兰的F-35战机提供过维修服务。去年，一架驻扎在英国的美国F-35战机也飞抵该基地进行维护。

这所学校选址意大利，也体现了意大利喷气式飞机飞行员培训能力的稳步提升，尤其针对国际学员。这所位于意大利撒丁岛德西莫曼努的意大利空军学校，目前拥有22架M-346教练机和40名教官，培训过的飞行员来自意大利、日本、德国、加拿大、英国和沙特阿拉伯等国家。

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。