ROME — Italy has officially announced that an air base in Sicily will become the first F-35 training school outside the United States, reflecting growing demand for pilot training following new orders in Europe.
The Italian Defense Ministry said the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and builder Lockheed Martin will oversee preparations for the training center at Trapani-Bilgi Air Base, with initial ground training to be provided in December 2028 and the “Lightning Training Center” to be completed in July 2029.
The center will provide two complete mission simulators at a price of 112.6 million euros ($131.4 million), borne by Italian taxpayers, the ministry added.
The establishment of the school coincides with the Italian Air Force converting Trapani-Bilgi into a third base to host its own F-35 fighter jets, meaning the base will have an Italian F-35 squadron and a squadron dedicated to hosting international students.
Italy’s existing F-35 bases are located in Amendola and Gedi.
The department said the new center “addresses growing training needs driven by greater participation by NATO and European nations in the (F-35) program.”
It added that Italy was keen to host the school, citing “a clear and strong political will to strengthen Italy’s strategic position in the programme”, adding that Trapani would be “the first F-35 pilot training center outside the United States”
Lockheed Martin has selected Italian defense giant Leonardo as its partner in the construction of the school, the Italian Ministry of Defense said, following a partnership between the two companies to build an Italian F-35 fighter maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade (MRO&U) center at Cameri Air Base in northern Italy.
Cameri was responsible for final assembly of F-35 jets for Italy and the Netherlands and now provides maintenance services for European jets. The center, which operates jointly with Lockheed Martin and the F-35 JPO, services F-35s from Italy, Norway and the Netherlands, and last year a U.K.-based U.S. F-35 was flown in for maintenance.
The school’s location in Italy also coincides with steady progress in Italy’s jet pilot training capabilities for international students. The Italian Air Force School in Decimo Manu, Sardinia, Italy currently has 22 M-346 trainer aircraft and 40 instructors, and has trained pilots from Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.