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Best Western Hotel Globus Roma - Surroundings - Aeronautica Militare

Italian Air Force

In 1998 in the Aeronautica Militaire Italiana (AMI) celebrated it's 75th anniversary.
It's forebear the Regia Aeronautica , was officially created on March 28 1923. The basic unit of the AMI is the Stormo (wing) which is composed of one Gruppo (Air Group) or more.
The Forthcoming period is going to be challenging for the Italian Air Force at the various sectors. In the Air-Defense role, the delay of the arrival of the Eurofighter forced the AMI to lease 34 ex-National Guard F-16s and to upgrade the F-104 Starfighters to keep it in service.
The 24 leased Tornado F.3 (ADV)s are due to be returned to the Royal Air Force during 2004/2006. There's little news on the attack compartment of the AMI, test activity will commence in the Tornado Mid-Life Update programme in 2002 and conclude in 2005 and involve both the IDS and ECR fleets.
The AMX is still suffering from reliability problems, while an upgrade project is due to begin to integrate CLDP laser pods and the GBU-31 JDAM bomb.

The AMI transport fleet is going to be drastically improved with purchase of 22 C-130Js, including 10 stretched C-130J-30s with deliveries to be completed by 2005. The AMI also purchased six kits to transform the C-130J into KC-130J tankers.
The AMI also recently signed a deal for the first 5 of 12 C-27J Spartans to be purchased. The Spartans will replace the ageing G.222. Deliveries of the second batch of six P.180 Avanti VIP aircraft is well underway. Finally an additional Airbus A319CJ ( 2 in service ) and a Falcon 900EX ( 2 in service) have been ordered by the Italian Governemt.

The new Tanker/Transport aircraft for the AMI has been selected, and it is to be the Boeing 767T/T with deliveries commencing in 2005-2006.
Four aircraft have been ordered to replace the elderly Boeing 707T/T. For the Maritime patrol, while awaiting the real replacement of the BR.1150 Atlantic fleet, it seems that the AMI could lease a small number of P-3 Orions from the USA.
Among other developments was the activation in the Summer of 2000, of the RAMI Goose Bay detachment where the AMI has initiated it's own training activity on the Canadian Range.