Air Force Chief of Staff General
Alberto Rosso told parliament on Tuesday that Italy has not paid
"389 million euros in invoices issued in 2018" by Lockheed
Martin for F35 fighter jets.
Reporting to a joint session of the Lower House and Senate
defence committees, Rosso expressed "major concern about
uncertainty over the programme" and the "hypothesis of a
quantitative reduction" in the number of aircraft Italy will
buy.
The general said the alternative would be "older and more
expensive" aircraft.
The Air Force chief said that "this aircraft is the future.
"Any slowdown or fall in the number would be worrying not
just for us, but also for the nation's industry, given the
economic impact of the programme".
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