First Italian-built F-35B Ready to Roll
S. Himmelstein | May 08, 2017The first short take-off/vertical landing F35-B assembled outside the U.S. rolled out of the final assembly and check out (FACO) facility in Cameri, Italy. 
(Source: Lockheed Martin Corporation)
The FACO is owned by the Italian Ministry of Defense and is operated by Leonardo in conjunction with Lockheed Martin with a current workforce of more than 800 skilled personnel engaged in full assembly of the Conventional Take-off/Landing F-35A and F-35B aircraft variants and F-35A wing production. The rollout exhibits the ongoing partnership between the Italian Ministry of Defense, industry partner Leonardo, and Lockheed Martin.
BL-1’s first flight is anticipated in late August and it is programmed to be delivered to the Italian Ministry of Defense in November. In addition, two Italian F-35A aircraft will be delivered from Cameri this year, the first by July and the second in the fourth quarter. Seven F-35As have been delivered to date from the Cameri FACO; four are now based at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, for international pilot training and three are at Amendola Air Base, near Foggio on the Adriatic coast. The Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) has already flown more than 100 flight hours in its Amendola-based F-35As.
After a series of confidence flights from Cameri, an Italian pilot will fly their first F-35B jet to Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland, in 2018 to conduct required Electromagnetic Environmental Effects certification. The next Italian F-35B aircraft is scheduled for delivery in November 2018. The Cameri FACO has the only F-35B production capability outside the U.S. and is programmed to produce a total of 30 Italian F-35Bs and 60 Italian F-35As, along with 29 F-35As for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and retains the capacity to deliver to other European partners in the future.
The Italian FACO is also producing 835 F-35A full wing sets to support all customers in the program. The FACO was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2014 as the F-35 Lightning II Heavy Airframe Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade facility for the European region.
So when this bad boy prepares to fire a missile, does it say "Bodda-bing, Bodda-boom?"
Truly this is the sport car (for a fighter pilot) for the ages. Not only do you get to see everything that is going on around you, you can see everyone and everything else in the theater of engagement, and make the kill before they even know you are there.