According to a report on the US Defense News website, Italy recently released a new defense budget document, which for the first time disclosed the details of defense spending for 2024, as well as the defense budget for 2025 and 2026. According to the document, Italy will spend 7 billion euros (approximately 7.8 billion US dollars) to purchase 25 additional F-35 fighter jets, expanding the country's F-35 fighter fleet to 115. The quantity of F-35 fighter jets purchased by Italy has undergone several changes. As early as 2009, Italy planned to order 131 F-35 fighter jets. However, in 2011, due to financial constraints, the Italian government announced a reduction in defense funding, reducing the order quantity of F-35 fighter jets to 90, including 60 F-35A and 30 F-35B fighter jets. In 2023, the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Luca Goretti, emphasized during a hearing in the House of Representatives that in order to enhance the combat capabilities of the Italian Air Force, it is necessary to increase the number of F-35 fighter jets. According to reports, after purchasing an additional 25 F-35 fighter jets, Italy will have 115 of this type of fighter jet. The report also emphasized that Italy may place another order for F-35 fighter jets, as the total number of 131 aircraft meets Italy's long-term operational needs. It is reported that out of the 25 F-35 fighter jets purchased this time, 15 F-35A fighter jets will be allocated to the Italian Air Force, and 10 F-35B fighter jets will be evenly distributed between the Italian Air Force and Navy. In addition, this budget will allocate 50 million euros for the renovation of a military base in Trieste, Italy to accommodate F-35B fighter jets. At present, Italy has received 24 F-35 fighter jets deployed in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic to carry out NATO air surveillance missions. In addition to the F-35 fighter jet procurement plan, the defense budget document released this time also mentions procurement plans for other military aircraft. Purchase of new "Typhoon" fighter jets. The Italian Air Force currently has a total of 94 Typhoon fighter jets, of which the first batch received in 2004 will be retired in 2029. In the defense budget document, it is mentioned that in order to supplement the first batch of 26 retired "Typhoon" fighter jets, Italy has invested 690 million euros in the procurement of 24 new "Typhoon" fighter jets in the fourth batch. Pay attention to anti submarine patrol aircraft at sea. The defense budget document also shows that Italy will invest 560 million euros in the future to purchase new anti submarine patrol aircraft for the navy and air force. After the retirement of the "Atlantic" anti submarine patrol aircraft in 2017, the Italian Air Force, due to limited budget, could only purchase four ATR-72MP patrol aircraft without anti submarine combat capabilities to carry out maritime reconnaissance missions. It is reported that the new maritime patrol aircraft that Italy plans to purchase this time may be Boeing's P-8A Poseidon anti submarine patrol aircraft. Replace with a new type of trainer aircraft. The report also stated that the Italian Air Force will purchase 15 new M-346 trainer aircraft for the "Three Colored Arrows" flight demonstration team this year, replacing the M-339 trainer aircraft that has been in service for decades. Leonardo da Vinci, the manufacturer of the M-346 trainer, announced that it will manufacture the performance aircraft according to the specific needs of the Italian Air Force. At that time, the new aircraft will be able to demonstrate new maneuvers and perform aerial refueling. The first batch of M-346 trainer aircraft is expected to be put into use next year. Invest in the next generation fighter jet project. The budget document also states that in 2024, Italy will invest an additional 506 million euros in the "Global Combat Air Program" project, a next-generation fighter jet jointly developed by the UK, Italy, and Japan, nearly doubling the amount from 2023. According to reports, earlier this year there were rumors that the newly elected Labour government in the UK may withdraw from the Global Combat Air Program. However, during his recent visit to Italy, UK Prime Minister Keir Stamer stated that the joint defense plan between the two countries is very important and that the UK will not withdraw from the project. (New Society)