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F-35, what Nave Cavour is doing in the United States

3 years ago babelfish

F-35, what Nave Cavour is doing in the United States

The Italian Navy aircraft carrier Cavour arrived at the naval base of Norfolk, in the USA, to obtain certification to safely land and launch the F-35Bs. All the details

On February 13 Nave Cavour arrived in Norfolk to begin qualifying for the F-35 B.

The Italian aircraft carrier landed on the Atlantic coast of the United States at the end of a navigation of seventeen days, of which ten of ocean crossing, after having left the Mar Grande Naval Station in Taranto on 28 January.

For the flagship of the Navy commanded by captain Giancarlo Ciappina, preparations will begin for the "Sea trials" as part of the Ready For Operations (RFO) campaign.

The certification process for the operational use of the F-35 B aircraft, the Stovl variant (short take-off and vertical landing) of the fifth generation fighter, and of the first Navy pilots in transition on the new aircraft in the United States.

The Italian Navy has in fact purchased 15 F-35Bs and the aircraft carrier is expected to receive the first aircraft in April, according to a report by Naval News .

All the details.

ARRIVAL AT NORFOLK US NAVY BASE

The Cavour aircraft carrier arrived at the US Navy's Second Fleet naval base in Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday. Here he will take part in a training period for the certification for the operational use of the aircraft of the Joint Strike Fighter (Jsf) F35-B program.

THE ITALY-US RELATIONSHIP

The Italian Ambassador to the USA Armando Varricchio welcomed the flagship of the Navy Naval Squad. The ambassador highlighted how "today the relationship between the United States and Italy looks decisively to the future and to the challenges we must face together, starting with that of security".

The qualification for the F-35B will in fact allow Nave Cavour to participate in joint operations between the Italian Mm and the United States Marine Corps.

THE SEA TRIALS ARE STARTED

Now in fact, the Cavour ship will remain parked in the Norfolk naval base for two weeks where all the technical preparations for the subsequent activity at sea will be made.

At the end of February the unit will leave the port of Norfolk to kick off the warm phase, defined as Sea Trials, which primarily involves the succession of take-offs and landings of the new F35-B aircraft on the unit.

In addition to numerous technical tests conducted by a team of engineers and testers from the US Integrated Test Force, necessary for the technical checks of compatibility between the aircraft, the ship and its systems.

THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE RFO CERTIFICATION

The achievement of RFO certifications constitutes an important step towards achieving the “Initial Operation Capability”. That is, the initial operational capacity of the Cavour aircraft carrier with the F35-B aircraft, expected by the end of 2024, when the Navy will have an adequate number of aircraft and pilots.

The process will end with the acquisition of the "Final Operational Capability" after the delivery of the fifteenth aircraft to the Navy.

WHAT THE OPERATION OF THE F-35B MEANS FOR ITALY

When the F35-B will begin regular operational activity, Italy will become part of an elite of a few countries in the world (together with Japan and the United Kingdom) capable of expressing an aircraft carrier capability with fifth generation combat aircraft .

The United States Marine Corps already has five F-35B operational squadrons. The UK declared its first operational capability (IOC) with its F-35Bs on HMS Queen Elizabeth just over two years ago.

Our country will in fact become the only country in the European Union to boast this ability.

“A strategic enterprise for the country and the Navy which will have to be joined by the more specific one of amalgamation with the entire maritime force”, commented the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.

15 F-35B AT THE MARINA

Finally, as mentioned at the beginning, the Navy is receiving 15 F-35Bs, of which the next aircraft will be delivered in April. This will be the first aircraft to be boarded on the unit.

The time schedule, barring unforeseen delays, provides: "with this pace, these deadlines and with the diagram for assigning the aircraft to the Navy, Cavour will obtain the IOC in 2024 with 8 aircraft delivered and at least 12 Combat Ready pilots". As Admiral Cavo Dragone had explained, reported by AresDifesa .

At the moment our armed forces have taken delivery of 15 F-35s, including 12 F-35As and 3 F-35Bs. So the knot has been resolved on who will receive the fourth F-35B between the Air Force and the Navy.

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/f-35-cosa-sta-facendo-nave-cavour-negli-stati-uniti/ on Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:56:57 +0000.