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.