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Air Force

Italy’s First F-35A Takes Wing in Successful Inaugural Flight

Valerie Insinna

Tuesday, September 8th, 2015

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Italy’s First F-35A Takes Wing in Successful Inaugural Flight

The first F-35A for the Italian Air Force, and the first F-35 built at the Cameri FACO, takes to the skies over Italy, Sept. 7, 2015. Photo: Lockheed Martin.

Italy’s first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) made its inaugural flight on Monday, marking the first time the jet has ever been flown outside of the United States.The plane—which is designated AL-1—took off at 1:05 p.m. from Cameri Air Base, Italy, and flew for just less than an hour and a half in military airspace just south of Turin. A second flight is slated to take place on Wednesday, Bill Gigliotti, the Lockheed Martin [LMT] test pilot that flew AL-1,…

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