Italy’s defense ministry is cutting F-35 strike fighter procurement by nearly a third, slicing Italy’s order from a total of 131 airframes to 90 aircraft. “It’s a significant reduction that is coherent with our need to reduce spending,” Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola told a joint meeting of Italy’s legislative bodies last week, reported Reuters. Italy—one of the original F-35 development partners—had intended to purchase 69 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft and 62 F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing variants in 2002. This original acquisition would have cost the Italians some $19.8 billion, while the cuts will reduce that total by an estimated $6.6 billion, reported BBC. Italy’s announcement closely follows the Pentagon’s decision to postpone ordering a total of 179 aircraft between Fiscal 2013 and 2017 to allow more time for F-35 testing before significantly ramping up aircraft production. Di Paola did not specify how cuts fall on each of the variants.
Due to the prolonged delay in deliveries of the Tech Refresh 3 version of the F-35 fighter, Denmark is pulling six of its TR-2-configured F-35 jets stationed in the U.S. back to home base in order to consolidate aircraft and get better training for its pilots and maintainers, the Danish…