{"id":39762,"date":"2018-01-25T22:12:23","date_gmt":"2018-01-25T22:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/25\/italy-receives-first-f-35b-assembled-outside-the-us\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:13:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:13:28","slug":"italy-receives-first-f-35b-assembled-outside-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2018\/01\/25\/italy-receives-first-f-35b-assembled-outside-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Italy receives first F-35B assembled outside the US"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ROME \u2014 Italy has received the first F-35B fighter jet to be assembled outside the U.S., which is destined to fly with the Italian Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Italian Ministry of Defense took delivery of the aircraft Thursday at Cameri Air Base, northern Italy, where the country operates an F-35 final assembly line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The line, which is operated by Italy\u2019s Leonardo and the American firm Lockheed Martin and employs 800, will turn out 60 F-35A and 30 F-35B aircraft, which Italy currently plans to order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, Lockheed said that to date, nine F-35As and one F-35B have been delivered by Cameri, which is the only F-35B assembly line outside the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\t