{"id":27080,"date":"2019-03-13T08:47:06","date_gmt":"2019-03-13T08:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/13\/italy-air-force-chief-attacks-f-35-uncertainty-in-rome\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:21:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:21:22","slug":"italy-air-force-chief-attacks-f-35-uncertainty-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2019\/03\/13\/italy-air-force-chief-attacks-f-35-uncertainty-in-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Italy Air Force chief attacks F-35 \u2018uncertainty\u2019 in Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ROME \u2013 The head of the Italian Air Force has launched an unusually forthright attack on the Italian government\u2019s see-sawing commitment to the F-35 program, and has claimed Rome owes Lockheed Martin \u20ac389 million ($439 million) for delivered aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen. Alberto Rosso told Italy\u2019s parliament on Tuesday that he felt \u201cstrongly concerned about the uncertainty\u201d affecting the F-35 program in Italy \u201cand the eventual hypothesis of a drop in numbers\u201d or orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny alternative to the F-35 would certainly be older, outdated, less efficient and more expensive aircraft,\u201d he told a joint session of the Lower House and Senate defence committees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosso\u2019s speech followed months of ambivalence about the F-35 from Italy\u2019s populist coalition government which took office last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the parties making up the coalition, Five Star, promised while in opposition to scrap Italy\u2019s plan to order 90 aircraft for its air force and navy, but since taking office the new government\u2019s defense minister \u2014 who was nominated by Five Star \u2014 has stuck with the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister, Elisabetta Trenta, has spoken of slowing down and reviewing the program, however, while the government has not confirmed the final number of aircraft it wants to buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, a junior defense minister, Angelo Tofalo, who is also a member of Five Star, heaped praise on the program in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\t