Italian government submits request to parliament for 7.3 billion euro additional spending for F-35 program

The Meloni government has requested parliamentary approval for additional spending that will increase the cost of the F-35 program to 20.8 billion euros.

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Italian government submits request to parliament for 7.3 billion euro additional spending for F-35 program

In Italy, the right-wing coalition government has brought a regulation to parliament that provides for approximately 7.3 billion euros in additional spending for the F-35 fighter jet program. According to information on the Chamber of Deputies' website, the new draft ministerial decree covers the procurement of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter weapon system and the strengthening of the industrial and technological maintenance center located in Cameri, in the north of the country.

According to reports in the Italian press, the total cost of the program is expected to rise from the 13.5 billion euros projected in 2009 to 20.8 billion euros with the additional funding request. The newspaper La Repubblica announced the development with the assessment that the government is accelerating rearmament and the procurement of new F-35s.

An F-35 fighter jet seen in the sky with its landing gear down. — The Italian government has submitted its additional budget request for the F-35 program to parliament.

THE COMMISSION HAS UNTIL DECEMBER 13

It was stated that while the purchase of 131 aircraft was initially planned under the program, the final number will be 115. The parliament's Defense Commission, which will examine the government's request for approval, has until December 13.

The newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore also wrote that the cost to the state for the new F-35 fighter jet program for the Italian Armed Forces and the strengthening of the Cameri industrial facility where the aircraft are assembled has increased by 7.3 billion euros. The report stated that revisions to the program, the rising cost of technological updates to the weapon system, inflation, and fluctuations in the euro-dollar exchange rate were effective in the cost increase.

An F-35 fighter jet maneuvering in a cloudy sky. — The total cost of the F-35 program is expected to rise to 20.8 billion euros.

Angelo Bonelli, a deputy from the opposition Green and Left Alliance (AVS), claimed that the Meloni government is making cuts to pensions, schools, and cybersecurity measures to buy new F-35s.

The Italian non-governmental organization Italian Network for Peace and Disarmament also described the government's move as a “serious and wrong choice” in a written statement. The organization called on parliament not to approve the new increase without conducting a public, transparent debate on the program's real costs and alternatives.

News Source: 12punto