Italian Navy Declares Initial Operational Capability For The Embarked F-35B Component | Aviation

The IOC (Initial Operational Capability) was achieved after 2,600 flight hours, as the joint F-35B component is embarked aboard Cavour aircraft carrier currently involved in her first Indo-Pacific cruise.

“Following the results obtained by the Carrier Strike Group and the achievement of the objectives of the embarked air component, today we can declare the achievement of the Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of the 5th generation expeditionary sea-based national capability,” announced the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Admiral Enrico Credendino, on Aug. 28, 2024, aboard the aircraft carrier Cavour, moored at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, as part of the operational projection campaign in the Indo-Pacific of the national Carrier Strike Group.

The Initial Operational Capability of the F-35B component was declared after logging over 2,600 flight hours, certifying “the ability to make available, through the 5th generation aircraft embarked on the Cavour aircraft carrier, offensive and defensive missions to counter the air threats, engage land and naval targets and suppress enemy air defenses, projecting into remote areas along  with the Carrier Strike Group, in complete logistical autonomy,” an official release by the naval service states.

The F-35B flight group…