F-35B Jets Can Now Operate on Italy’s ‘Cavour’ Carrier
The F-35B Joint Strike Fighters can now operate on the Italian Navy’s ‘Cavour’ aircraft carrier after the vessel received 16-month refit and upgrade.
On May 6, the ship left the Arsenale Militare Marittimo (Maritime Military Arsenal) of Taranto, the Navy said in a statement Tuesday.
Italy has ordered a total of 30 F-35B jets- 15 each for the Air Force and the Navy. The Navy received two of these jets in 2018 and 2019, while the Air Force took the delivery of its first F-35B on February 22, 2020.
The Cavour will reportedly have room for ten F-35B STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) in the hangar, and six more parked on deck.
The vessel is 244m long and 39m wide. It has a displacement of about 27,000 tons. The aircraft carrier will complete the technical tests in the coming weeks, at the end of which an intense training period will begin.
Cavour modernization:
Modernization and restructuring work of the carrier began in December 2018. Flight deck received a new deck coating and metallic reinforcement. Upgrades include reinforced flight deck to handle the stress of direct thrust from the engines of the F-35B, which is capable of temporarily pointing its thrusters downward in order to take off and land vertically.
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