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The pilots attended MCAS Beaufort ground school and then continued their training at Amendola Air Base, earning limited combat readiness certification.
The Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) recently graduated three new Marina Militare (Navy) F-35B pilots at Amendola Air Base, home of the 32° Stormo (wing). The Navy pilots previously attended Marine Corps Air Station Ground School in Beaufort, South Carolina, before moving to Amendola to complete training in the Air Force and obtain limited combat readiness qualifications.
To complete the qualification course, both the Air Force and Navy deployed teams of instructors and technical personnel linked to the 32nd Wing Training Standardization Support Center. The pilots participated in a variety of flight activities and mission sets to prepare them for using the short takeoff and vertical landing variants of the fifth-generation fighter.
This joint exercise is part of the synergies created since both services adopted the F-35B. In practice, in addition to standardizing techniques, tactics and procedures, the two services often train together in harsh locations and expeditionary scenarios aboard the Italian Navy's ITS Cavour aircraft carrier. Moreover, the Navy's F-35Bs are currently based at Amendola Air Base for more efficient management of the fleet until enough aircraft are available to be based at Naval Air Station Grottaglier.
The Italian Air Force noted in a statement that two new naval pilots have already begun training at Amendola to transition to the F-35B and become LCR qualified. Pilots will then continue training with their assigned squadron to achieve full combat readiness. For the Marina Militare, this is the Gruppo Aerei Imbarcati (embarked aircraft squadron) currently undergoing conversion from the AV-8B+ Harrier II.
Until the end of 2022, the Italian Navy trained F-35B pilots and technicians at MCAS Beaufort with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501. Two Beaufort-based Italian F-35Bs returned to Italy at the end of their contract with the USMC. . A U.S. Marine Corps photo caption at the time indicated that the Italian Navy F-35B training program would be at Amendola Air Force Base.
In the past, there has been disagreement over whether all Italian F-35Bs should be deployed with the Navy, shared with the Air Force, and whether they should all be stationed at the same airfields. But now Italy is aiming for a “joint capability” with the Italian Air Force and Navy operating their own aircraft in their own units. However, if necessary, the F-35Bs from both services will be integrated and operated under a single command structure from land bases, aircraft carriers, or amphibious helicopter docks.