{"id":36474,"date":"2021-06-08T21:37:25","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T21:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:00:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:00:55","slug":"italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PANTELLERIA, Italy \u2014 The Italian Air Force is getting its money\u2019s worth out of its single F-35B jet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The jet made a short landing Tuesday on the Italian island of Pantelleria to join a British Royal Air Force F-35B. The two Joint Strike Fighters practiced fast ground refueling from a parked C-130J, marking the first time F-35Bs from Italy and the U.K. have trained together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British jet had flown in from the Royal Navy\u2019s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is steaming past the island on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2021\/04\/26\/british-name-enormous-carrier-strike-group-heading-for-the-indo-pacific\/\" target=\"_blank\">flag-flying mission to the Asia-Pacific region<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Italian F-35B arrived on Pantelleria, a tiny speck in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, for the second time as it tests Italy\u2019s plan to deploy the type to advance bases with very short runways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it is all thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\">COVID-19<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After rolling off Italy\u2019s F-35 final assembly line, the Air Force\u2019s first and so far only \u201cB\u201d model was due to fly to the U.S. for pilot training in February 2020, but was stuck in Italy because of pandemic-related restrictions. According to officials, things have worked out just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause of the pandemic &#8230; it stayed in Italy, and in a year we have acquired notable experience, including on maintenance, qualifying technicians, and achieved a series of certifications allowing activities like today,\u201d said Gen. Gianni Candotti, the Italian Air Force\u2019s operational commander. \u201cPartnering is absolutely important in Europe where we and the British use the F-35B, and we exploring [additional] opportunities to exercise together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joint training made sense since the two air forces were likely to join forces in operations, he added. \u201cThe aircraft we have \u2014 and this is also the case for our partners \u2014 are insufficient to mount daily sorties that NATO or other organizations require. It is necessary to pool forces with partners. In 30 years in the Air Force I have never worked alone. We have always worked with other allies that share objectives and values.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Britain\u2019s participation was enabled by the proximity of the Queen Elizabeth, which is also hosting 10 U.S. Marine Corp F-35s on its eastward trip. One of the American jets was due in Pantelleria on Tuesday, but its visit was canceled after a Marine F35B flying from the ship suffered a malfunction and was forced to land on the Spanish island of Ibiza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the Royal Air Force jet arriving on Pantelleria was joined by a Royal Navy Merlin helicopter carrying a British crew to assist with refueling. That drill on the island\u2019s small Italian air base was part of a wider exercise currently taking place in Italy. Falcon Strike, which involves F-35As from the U.S., Israel and Italy, marks the first visit to Italy by Israeli F-35s. Italy currently operates 10 \u201cA\u201d models, with three more undertaking training in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, the Italian Navy has taken delivery of two F-35Bs, also training in the United States. And in March, the service qualified its aircraft carrier Cavour to host the fighter after sea trials with American jets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when it comes to joint training and operations, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2020\/10\/21\/italys-navy-air-force-tussle-over-the-f-35-comes-to-a-head\/\" target=\"_blank\">the fate of F-35Bs is in question<\/a>: Both the Navy and Air Force are due to receive 15 of the jets \u2014 a small number amount, which could justify joint management. However, no decision has been made amid jockeying between the services to keep sovereign control over their respective jets, and it has yet to be decided who gets Italy\u2019s fourth \u201cB\u201d model when it is delivered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a sign that some sort of integrated Italian F-35B force is in the works, a Defence Ministry document issued this year contained objectives for 2022, among them a \u201cSTOVL Joint Force,\u201d using an acronym for short takeoff and vertical landing. That could involve Air Force F-35Bs flying off the Cavour, but Candotti said that \u201cis not our immediate objective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, the Air Force would focus on preparing to land its F-35Bs on short and rough runways, with Afghanistan serving as a lesson. \u201cIn Afghanistan, only after a year and lots of money spent and risks taken, we were able to lengthen the runway at the base used by Italians to use our Tornados,\u201d he said, referring to another military aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, he did not rule out some form of eventual joint command for Italy\u2019s Navy and Air Force F-35Bs. \u201cEverything is possible. Our British colleagues did it with the Harrier and continue with the F-35B. There are various ways to integrate from minimum collaboration to full integration. It is being studied.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Italian Air Force is getting its money\u2019s worth out of its single F-35B jet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":77903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":26,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[7,9,160,46,11,36,26,164],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3345],"class_list":["post-36474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-coronavirus","category-daily-news-roundup","category-europe","category-global","category-newsletters","category-training-sim","category-training-simulation-report"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"SK4DPRG25FCNFK7RRTME3X57WQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Italian Air Force is getting its money\u2019s worth out of its single F-35B jet.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Italian Air Force is getting its money\u2019s worth out of its single F-35B jet.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-08T21:37:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:00:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tom Kington\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tom Kington\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-06-08T21:37:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:00:55+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 790,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/DSC_8530.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Air Warfare\",\n\t                \"Coronavirus | COVID-19 Updates\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Europe\",\n\t                \"Global\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Training &amp; Sim\",\n\t                \"Training &amp; Simulation Report\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/DSC_8530.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-06-08T21:37:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:00:55+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The Italian Air Force is getting its money\u2019s worth out of its single F-35B jet.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/DSC_8530.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/DSC_8530.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/08\\\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Training &amp; Sim\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/training-sim\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"training-sim\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic - Defense News","description":"The Italian Air Force is getting its money\u2019s worth out of its single F-35B jet.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic","og_description":"The Italian Air Force is getting its money\u2019s worth out of its single F-35B jet.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2021-06-08T21:37:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T23:00:55+00:00","author":"Tom Kington","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tom Kington","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic","datePublished":"2021-06-08T21:37:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T23:00:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/"},"wordCount":790,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC_8530.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Air Warfare","Coronavirus | COVID-19 Updates","Daily News Roundup","Europe","Global","Newsletters","Training &amp; Sim","Training &amp; Simulation Report"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/","name":"Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC_8530.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-06-08T21:37:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T23:00:55+00:00","description":"The Italian Air Force is getting its money\u2019s worth out of its single F-35B jet.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC_8530.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC_8530.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/06\/08\/italian-british-f-35b-jets-train-together-for-first-time-all-thanks-to-the-pandemic\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Training &amp; Sim","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/","ad_zone":"training-sim"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Italian, British F-35B jets train together for first time, all thanks to the pandemic"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC_8530.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36474"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36488,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36474\/revisions\/36488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36474"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=36474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}