Leonardo, what will change for the F-35s according to Guerini’s Defense
Here are the investments foreseen in the Defense multi-year programmatic document (Dpp) 2019-2021 for the F-35s (Lockheed Martin-Leonardo). A remodeling of the appropriations for the Jsf program has been implemented by the ministry headed by Lorenzo Guerini
We proceed on the F-35 program in Italy. In fact, the multi-year planning document released yesterday by the Ministry of Defense states that "the program is proceeding in line with the operational guidelines and government commitments indicated in the DPP 2019-2021 ". Not only. We also proceed with "the contractual activities of a first batch of Phase 2" started in 2019.
But the investment figure planned for this year is smaller than the 2019 forecast.
Italy is a Level II partner of the Joint Strike Fighter (Jsf) program, a fighter-bomber assembled by Leonardo (ex Finmeccanica) on behalf of Lockheed Martin in the Faco plant in Cameri (Novara), managed by Leonardo, the group chaired by Luciano Carta and led by the managing director Alessandro Profumo.
Our country has pledged to buy 90 F-35s (reduced in 2012 from the initial 131).
But what are the investments planned for 2020 in the F-35 program?
Here are all the details that emerge from the programmatic document drawn up by the Ministry of Defense headed by Lorenzo Guerini. This year published late due on the one hand to the Covid-19 emergency and on the other hand to a delay in the allocation of funds from the State Budget.
FORECASTS 2020
The 2020-20220 Dpp confirms the spending commitments for the F-35s with a slight reshaping. In fact, the document provides for the allocation of 800 million euros this year, 747 million in 2021 and 700 million in 2022.
COMPARED TO 2019
In the 2019-2021 Dpp, the allocation of 859 million was expected this year, 690 million euros in 2019 and 747 million in 2021.
A reduction therefore equal to 59 million euros for 2020.
AND TO 2018
Already last year, in the 2019-2021 DPP, the Ministry of Defense had applied a reduction of 76 million euros as in the 2018-2020 DPP, 766 million were expected for 2019. For 2020, the 2018 forecasts indicated an expenditure of 783 million, which now (in the DPP published yesterday) rises to 800.
CONTINUES WITH A SLIGHT REMODULATION
In the document 2020-2021 it is explained that the reduction of 59 million euros in resources depends on "a remodeling of the resources assigned to the program due to contractual commitments". So like the previous year. Adding that it also depends on the "contextual start of the recalled phase 2a".
"The costs of Phase 1 (total requirement of € 7,056.0 million) – it says – meet the needs of: acquisition of the first 28 aircraft, related engines, equipment, initial retrofit costs, logistical support up to 2022, construction of the Cameri plant and related technical assistance, preparation of national sites (Amendola, Ghedi, Nave Cavour).
Phase 1 of the Italian program therefore involved the purchase by our country of 28 aircraft.
PHASE 2 STARTED
As announced by Minister Guerini in November of last year , Italy has started Phase 2 of the Jsf program, inserted in the Document released yesterday by the Defense.
“Phase 2a provides for the continuation of the acquisition of 27 aircraft – reads the Dpp 2020-2022 – and related engines and equipment as well as the strengthening of logistical support. The overall costs are being refined in light of the progressive reduction in unit costs and the consequent improvement in the economies of scale of the program. The financial items allocated in the first years are intended to primarily guarantee the acquisition of long-lasting materials and orders from sub-suppliers. The start of Phase 2A is part of a weighted strategy of temporal compression of the program that will guarantee significant savings on the overall costs quantifiable in approximately 1 billion euro as well as the full operational availability of the structure from 2030 (instead of 2034).
The next 27 aircraft are therefore expected and 28 will be hangared – the latest order of 368 million dollars for the delivery of 6 F-35s to Italy dates back to last June – out of a total of 90 aircraft.
It now remains to understand how the Italian government intends to renegotiate with the United States the part that is missing from the completion of the F-35 fleet.
HERE IS THE INTEGRAL PROGRAM DOCUMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE 2020-2022
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/leonardo-che-cosa-cambiera-per-gli-f-35-secondo-la-difesa-di-guerini/ on Fri, 23 Oct 2020 12:42:05 +0000.