Bei den ersten drei Flugzeugen, die als Initial Capability konfiguriert sind, wird ein Retrofit-Programm durchgeführt, um sie auf Full Operational Capability zu bringen.
Another ISR capability Italy hopes to reestablish is maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare, which was lost with the retirement of the Breguet Atlantic in 2017.
The P-72 derivative of the ATR 72 regional airliner currently performs maritime patrol, but this is an “interim solution,” Ippoliti said. “The P-72 was the only solution we had at that time because budgets were limited. It is doing an excellent job, but we have lost the capability to intervene under the sea.”
Italy seeks to refresh its anti--submarine warfare capability with a platform that can reach anywhere in the Mediterranean region. The country will need more aircraft than just the P-72s, Ippoliti added.
Rome aims to introduce the new maritime patroller toward the end of the decade but has not decided whether it will be a product of national industry, such as an upgraded P-72, or an international option. At the AeroSpace Power Conference, Boeing proposed its P-8 Poseidon maritime patroller, while Leonardo has offered a maritime patrol variant of the C-27J.
Italy looks to fighter friend Japan for a new maritime-patrol plane
Italy is considering buying the Japanese Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft to tackle hostile submarines in the Mediterranean, a move which would break an Italian tradition of U.S. aircraft purchases and strengthen ties with Tokyo.
“The P-1 is is one of the possible options available,” Italian Air Force chief Luca Goretti told reporters on Friday when asked how Italy aimed to fill gaps in its maritime patrol capability.
As Italy retired the last of its long serving Atlantique maritime patrol planes in 2017 it acquired ATR 72′s jointly built by Airbus and local firm Leonardo to fill the role, operated by mixed Air Force and Navy crews.
But while offering electronically scanned radar, the aircraft lacked anti-submarine warfare capabilities and were only considered a gap filler.
