| File:Coat of arms of the Italian Air Force.svg |
The Italian Air Force, in Italian Aeronautica Militare is the air force of the Italian Republic (Repubblica Italiana). She had a prominent role in modern military history of Italy and its aerobatic display team is the Frecce Tricolori.
History[]
Italy is one of the nations that possess one of the oldest traditions in the field of aviation. In 1884, the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito) was allowed to equip with their own air component, the Aeronautical Service ( Servizio Aeronautico ) with the command center in Rome. In 1911, during the Italo-Turkish war, the country, was the first in the world to build aircraft for reconnaissance and bombing.
On March 28 of 1923, it was founded as an independent government by King Emmanuel III the Kingdom of Italy (Regno d'Italia). The air force was known as the Regia Aeronautica, which equates to "Royal Air Force."
During the 1930s, the Italian Royal Air Force was involved in its first military operation, initially in Ethiopia in 1935, and later in the Spanish Civil War, between 1936 and 1939. After a period of neutrality, Italy entered the World War II on June 10 of 1940 on the side of Germany. in which the Italian Air Force could offer more than 3,000 aircraft, even though less than 60% were useful. She fought from the icy steppes of Russia to the desert sands of North Africa, losing men and machines. After the armistice between Italy and the allied forces on September 8 of 1943, Italy was divided into two sides, and so did the Italian Royal Air Force. The end of hostilities on 8 May 1945, the doors in April for the rebirth of military aviation in Italy.
Italian Aircraft[]
The Italian Air Force operates 585 aircraft, including 386 (2007) 114 fighter jets and helicopters.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat aircraft | ||||||
| AMX International AMX | Italy/Brazil | Attack | A-11A | 66 | ||
| Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon | United States | Interceptor | F-16A | 14 | Leased until 2012 | |
| Panavia Tornado IDS | United Kingdom/Germany/Italy | Attack/Strike/AR | A-200A | 74 | ||
| Panavia Tornado ECR | United Kingdom/ Germany/Italy | S.E.A.D. | EA-200A | 16 | ||
| Eurofighter Typhoon | United Kingdom/Germany/Spain/Italy | Air Superiority / Interceptor | F-2000A | 75 | 21 Aircraft on order(Total 96 in 2012) | |
| Total combat aircraft | 245 | |||||
| Trainers | ||||||
| Aermacchi MB-339 | Italy | Trainer (Combat capable) | T-339A/T-339CD | 78 | ||
| Aermacchi SF-260 | Italy | trainer | T-260EA | 30 | ||
| Panavia Tornado IDS-T | Europe | Operational Conversion Unit | TA-200A | 10 | ||
| Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon | United States | Operational Conversion Unit | F-16B | 2 | ||
| Total trainer aircraft | 120 | |||||
| Transports | ||||||
| Boeing 767 | United States | aerial refueling/strategic transport | KC-767A | 4 | ||
| Alenia C-27J Spartan | Italy | Tactical transport | C-27J | 12 | ||
| Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules | United States | Tactical transport | C-130J/C-130J-30 | 12 | ||
| Lockheed Martin KC-130J Super Hercules | United States | Aerial Refueling | KC-130J | 9 | ||
| Piaggio P180 Avanti | Italy | utility transport | P.180 M/P.180 RM/P.180 APH | 15 | ||
| Dassault Falcon 50 | France | VIP transport | 2 | |||
| Dassault Falcon 900 | France | VIP transport | 900EX/900EX Easy | 5 | ||
| Airbus A319 | Europe | VIP transport | A319-100 ACJ | 3 | ||
| Total transport aircraft | 62 | |||||
| Transport/Search and Rescue Helicopter | ||||||
| MD Helicopters MD 500 Defender | Italy | utility helicopter | NH 500E | 49 | ||
| Agusta-Bell AB212 Twin Huey | Italy | rescue helicopter | AB212AM | 32 | ||
| Sikorsky HH-3F Pelican | Italy | Combat SAR | 24 | |||
| Total transport and rescue helicopters | 105 | |||||
| Maritime Patrol/Reconnaissance | ||||||
| General Atomics RQ-1 Predator | United States | reconnaissance UAV | RQ-1A | 7 | ||
| General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper | United States | reconnaissance UAV | MQ-9 | 6 | ||
| Breguet Atlantique | France | maritime patrol | Br 1150 | 8 | ||
| SIAI Marchetti S.205 | Italy | liaison | S 208M | 20 | ||
| Total maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft | 41 | |||||
| Total Active Aircraft | ||||||
| Total active aircraft | 543 | |||||
Future aircraft[]
- Boeing KC-767 (4)
- Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II (109 + 22 for the Marina Militare)
- Aermacchi M-346 (6 ordered, and 9 more expected)
- Joint Airborne Multisensor Multimission System on the Gulfstream G550 platform (8)
- Another 21 Eurofighter Typhoons
[1]
Retired aircraft[]
- Aeritalia G.222
- Boeing 707
- Aeritalia F-104S Starfighter
- Lockheed C-130 Hercules H variant
- Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
- Lockheed P-38J and L Lightning
- Panavia Tornado ADV-24 leased from RAF
- Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
See also[]
The original article can be found at Italian Air Force and the edit history here.