Italian Navy carrier Cavour receiving first F35Bs in days...

[Haijun watcher]

Please see the updates at very bottom post:

Scramble

ITS Cavour starts F-35B qualification trials in February 2021
The flagship of the Marina Militare Italiana (MMI, Italian Navy), the aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (C550), will be sailing to Naval Station Norfolk in the United States to start aircraft qualifications with the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II in close corporation with the United States Navy (USN), but especially the United States Marine Corps (USMC).
The F-35B is the short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35A Lightning II and Italy planned to procure thirty F-35Bs for both the Aeronautica Militare (AMI, Italian Air Force) and Marina Militare Italiana (MMI, Italian Navy).
The Navy�s F-35B will replace the ageing AV-8B Harrier jump jets at Grottaglie airbase, in southeastern Italy, and aboard the new L9890 Trieste and C550 Cavour.
After the arrival of ITS Cavour in the United States, a USMC F-35B detachment will be stationed at the carrier for a period of six weeks for aircraft carrier qualification training.

(...SNIPPED)

[Haijun watcher]

Updated:

Defense News

Italian Navy aircraft carrier to get first F-35B �within a few days�
By: Tom Kington ? 16 hours ago

ROME � The Italian Navy aircraft carrier Cavour will receive its first F-35B this month after the vessel started certification work in the U.S. earlier this year to host the aircraft.
The fighter jet is undergoing final checks at the Cameri air base in Italy, home to the country�s F-35 final assembly and checkout facility, which is due to turn out 90 F-35s for Italy, including 30 F-35Bs.
�The test flights have been completed, so within a few days [the aircraft] will be available for the Navy to collect and it will [be] delivered directly to the Cavour,� said Rear Adm. Dino Torresi, the head of the Navy�s air operations.
The Navy previously took delivery of two other F-35Bs, which were sent to the U.S. to join a training program for pilots and technical personnel. The new delivery makes it three out of a final order of 15 aircraft for the Navy. The �B� variant can land vertically and take off on short runways. (...SNIPPED)