Italy intends to restore its lapsed long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability through the acquisition of two new aircraft, its latest defence plan reveals.
Covering the 2024-2026 period, the multi-year defence planning document (DPP) also includes a commitment to acquire additional Lockheed Martin F-35s – a mixture of A- and B-model variants – plus additional surveillance and training assets.
Although its air force operates four ATR 72MPs on maritime surveillance missions, Rome has been without a dedicated fixed-wing ASW platform since the retirement of its elderly Breguet Atlantics in 2017.
But detailing the latest plans, the DPP says the Italian navy and air force will launch a programme to acquire a pair of “maritime multi-mission aircraft” – a platform it refers to as “M3A” – which will “guarantee the capability to counter underwater threats”.
The M3A platform will also be capable of performing as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance asset.
No details of the aircraft under consideration have been disclosed, although a likely front-runner is the Boeing P-8A Poseidon, given its prior selection by Germany, Norway and the UK. The Italian defence ministry is seeking an initial €560 million ($622 million) for the acquisition.
Additionally, Italy plans to spend €7 billion on more F-35s as it seeks to bolster its fighter capabilities. These comprise five short take-off and vertical landing B-variant aircraft for the navy as a replacement for the service’s aged Boeing AV-8Bs, and five F-35Bs and 15 conventional take-off and landing F-35As for the air force.
Rome has previously committed to acquire 90 examples of the Joint Strike Fighter, against a stated 131-unit target.
While noting the lower objective, the DPP says the latest increase will still “improve Italy’s geopolitical positioning in the European security context” and help keep the cost of F-35s produced at the Cameri final assembly and check out facility in the north of the country “consistent with the [Lockheed] plant in the USA”.
The DPP also underscores Italy’s continued commitment to the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) on which it is collaborating with Japan and the UK to develop a sixth-generation fighter and associated systems.
“What is at stake is not only the preservation of air combat power superiority, but also the management of the digital transition, with benefits for the entire country,” says the document; around €1.4 billion is provisioned for the period until 2029, with another €7.5 billion to 2050.
In the meantime, Italy is also purchasing another 24 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighters to replace its earliest Tranche 1 examples.
On top of which, the air force is to acquire 20 Leonardo M-346s – five designated as T-model trainers and 15 for the Frecce Tricolori aerobatics team; Rome announced on 12 September that it had selected the twin-engined jet to replace the team’s existing MB-339 fleet.
It will also continue to invest in its command and control fleet, acquiring additional Gulfstream G550-based assets for the airborne early warning and battlefield management and communications roles.
The document also references the acquisition the EC-37B – an electronic warfare aircraft based on the G550 and developed by prime contractor BAE Systems for the US Air Force – but provides no details on quantities or timelines.
In the interim, it will continue to lease manned surveillance assets under its ‘Spydr’ “gap filler” initiative, allocating €24 million in the period to 2026 for the sensor-equipped Beechcraft King Air 350s.
Italy will also continue to renew its fleet of unmanned air vehicles, including the acquisition of two Block 5-standard General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9C Predators, plus a ground control station, alongside the upgrade of existing examples.
A mid-life upgrade for the navy’s Leonardo Helicopters EH-101s is also planned, plus the integration of the MBDA Marte ER anti-ship missile onto the platform. The weapon will also be added to the service’s NH Industries NH90 fleet.
This story has been edited to clarify the number of F-35s to be acquired
