A first Italian Air Force G550 CAEW (Conformal Airborne Early Warning) aircraft has been taken on by 71° Gruppo of 14° Stormo based at Pratica di Mare, near Rome. The aircraft has received the military serial MM62293 and the unit code ‘14-11’.
The initial G550 CAEW was delivered to the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) on December 19, in the course of a ceremony that was held at Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel. The ceremony was attended by the Italian ambassador to Israel, senior officials from the Italian Ministry of Defence’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) and representatives from the Italian Air Force.
A second aircraft is expected to be delivered to the Aeronautica Militare during 2017.
The acquisition is part of a military and industrial offset agreement that was signed between Italy and Israel in 2012. The deal followed the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s decision to purchase 30 examples of the Italian-produced M-346 advanced jet trainer, to replace the A-4 Skyhawk (Ahit) in the advanced training role.
For more on the Italian Air Force, check out AirForces Intelligence, the online air arms database brought to you by the AFM team.
Photo: Paolo Rollino
Recent Comments