According to foreign media reports, the Italian Air Force recently held a retirement ceremony for the AMX attack aircraft fleet. This move marks the complete withdrawal of this attack aircraft, which was born in the 1980s, from the European stage, and also reflects the Italian Air Force's intention to seek transformation and development by integrating fighter forces to meet the needs of modern warfare. The AMX attack aircraft was jointly developed by Italy and Brazil, mainly used for close range air support and reconnaissance missions, and was delivered to the Italian Air Force in 1989. With the accelerated transformation of modern warfare forms and the rapid development of equipment technology, attack aircraft with poor stealth capabilities are almost unable to survive in the face of densely deployed air defense systems and advanced radar systems. The announcement of the retirement of the AMX attack aircraft by the Italian Air Force this time also conforms to the trend of the successive retirement of ground attack aircraft by air forces of various countries. It is reported that after the retirement of the AMX attack aircraft, some close range air support and reconnaissance missions of the Italian Air Force will be carried out by Typhoon fighter jets and F-35 fighter jets. The Italian Air Force is currently equipped with over 90 Typhoon fighter jets. In order to better complete reconnaissance and ground attack tasks, the Italian Air Force plans to install modern electronic equipment such as tactical reconnaissance pods and active phased array radars for the aircraft. Meanwhile, Italy will increase its procurement of F-35 fighter jets from the current 90 to 131. To address the issue of high costs for multi-purpose fighter jets to carry out close range air support and reconnaissance missions, the Italian Air Force is accelerating the development of unmanned aerial vehicle units to share some of the aerial reconnaissance tasks. Italy was the first country in Europe to introduce the MQ-1 Predator drone and an early user of the MQ-9A Reaper drone. Currently, the Italian Air Force is planning to upgrade the MQ-9A Reaper drone to the Block 5 model to enhance its long-range and high-altitude surveillance capabilities. At the same time, Italy is participating in the development of a European hollow long endurance remote-controlled aircraft system project. The project aims to develop a drone with reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities, as well as the ability to use precision guided weapons to support ground attacks. It is expected to achieve its maiden flight as early as 2027. In the process of promoting power transformation, the Italian Air Force pays special attention to the construction of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, and continuously increases investment in the field of electronic warfare. At present, the Italian Air Force is equipped with 2 Gulfstream G550 CAEW early warning aircraft and 2 Gulfstream G550 AISREW electronic warfare aircraft, as well as 6 Gulfstream G550 corporate jets that have not yet been officially determined for mission roles and are awaiting modification. According to sources, some Gulfstream G550 official aircraft will be converted into EC-37B electronic warfare aircraft to enhance the Italian Air Force's command, control, and intelligence gathering capabilities. In addition, maritime patrols and anti submarine capability building are another key focus of the Italian Air Force. In 2017, all Italian Air Force Atlantic patrol aircraft were retired. To maintain anti submarine patrols and situational awareness capabilities at sea, the Italian Air Force has purchased four P-72A sea patrol aircraft with all-weather air reconnaissance and command and control capabilities. At present, the Italian Air Force is seeking to purchase new anti submarine aircraft to further enhance its maritime intelligence collection, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. (Lai Xin She)
Edit：Luo yu Responsible editor：Zhou shu
Source：China national defense daily
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