The following is a list of military aircraft currently used by the four branches of the Italian Armed Forces: Italian Army, Italian Navy, Italian Air Force, and Carabinieri.
The following is a list of military aircraft currently used by the four branches of the Italian Armed Forces: Italian Army, Italian Navy, Italian Air Force, and Carabinieri.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat aircraft | |||||
| Eurofighter | UK Germany Italy Spain | Multirole Operational conversion | F-2000A TF-2000A | 79 [1] 14 [1] | A total of 96 Typhoons were ordered, of which 3 were lost in accidents. Currently 93 Typhoons are in service. 24 new Typhoons have been ordered in 2024, which will replace 27 Typhoons of Tranche 1. |
| Tornado | UK Germany Italy | Multirole Electronic warfare Operational conversion | IDS ECR IDS | 28 [1] 13 [1] 5 | Will be replaced by 95 F-35 (75 F-35A + 20 F-35B) destined for the Air Force (an additional 20 F-35B are destined for the Naval Aviation). |
| F-35 Lightning II | USA Italy | Multirole | F-35A F-35B | 27 [2] 4 [2] | 75 ordered [2] 20 ordered [2] |
| AEW&C | |||||
| Gulfstream G550 | United States / Israel | AEW | E550 CAEW | 2 [1] | 3 on order (September 2024) [3] |
| Electronic warfare | |||||
| Alenia C-27J | Italy | Electronic warfare | EC-27 Jedi | 3 [1] | |
| Gulfstream G550 | United States / Israel | AISREW "airborne intell, surveillance, reconnaissance electronic warfare" | G550 AEA | 0 | 2 on order + 1 option (September 2024) [3] |
| Reconnaissance | |||||
| Super King Air | United States | SIGINT | 350 | 2 [1] | |
| Maritime patrol | |||||
| ATR 72 | France / Italy | ASW / patrol | P-72AS | 4 [1] | |
| Tanker | |||||
| Boeing KC-767 | United States | Aerial refueling | 4 [1] | ||
| KC-130 Hercules | United States | Aerial refueling | KC-130J | 3 | |
| Transport | |||||
| Alenia C-27J | Italy | Transport | 7 [1] | ||
| Piaggio P.180 | Italy | VIP | 6 | 11 on order [1] | |
| Airbus A319CJ | European Union | VIP | 3 [4] | ||
| Airbus A340-500 | European Union | VIP | 1 [5] | I-TALY: unused since 2018, parked and abandoned at Rome Fiumicino Airport, disputed ownership between Etihad Airways and the Air Force | |
| Dassault Falcon 50 | France | VIP | 2 [6] | ||
| Dassault Falcon 900 | France | VIP | 3 [7] | ||
| C-130J Super Hercules | United States | Tactical airlift | 14 | ||
| Helicopter | |||||
| AgustaWestland AW101 | Italy / United Kingdom | Utility / CSAR | 12 [1] | ||
| AgustaWestland AW139 | Italy | Utility / SAR | 30 [1] | ||
| Trainer aircraft | |||||
| Alenia M-346 | Italy | Advanced trainer | T-346A | 21 [1] | |
| Alenia M-345 | Italy | Advanced trainer | T-345A | 2 | 16 on order [1] |
| Piaggio P.180 | Italy | Multi-engine trainer | 7 [1] | ||
| Aermacchi MB-339 | Italy | Jet trainer | 48 [1] | ||
| SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 | Italy | Basic trainer | 29 [1] | ||
| McDonnell Douglas MD 500 | Italy | Rotorcraft trainer | NH-500M | 38 [1] | licensed built by Breda Nardi |
| UAV | |||||
| MQ-9A Predator B | United States | Surveillance | 5 [8] | 1× lost in an accident in 2019 | |
| Piaggio-Selex P.1HH Hammerhead | Italy | Surveillance | 6 on order [9] | ||
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | ||||||
| Piaggio P.180 | Italy | transport | 3 [10] | |||
| Dornier Do 228 | Germany | transport | 3 [10] | STOL capable aircraft | ||
| Helicopter | ||||||
| Agusta A129 Mangusta | Italy | anti-armor | 59 [10] | |||
| Agusta Bell 206 | Italy | utility | 30 | |||
| Agusta Bell 205 | Italy | utility | 55 | |||
| Agusta-Bell 412 | United States | utility / CASEVAC | 21 [10] | licensed built by Agusta | ||
| Agusta-Bell 212 | United States | utility | 9 [10] | licensed built by Agusta | ||
| Boeing CH-47 Chinook | United States | transport | CH-47C/F | 22 | licensed built by Elicotteri Meridionali | |
| NHIndustries NH90 | European Union | utility / transport | UH-90A | 60 [11] | ||
| AgustaWestland AW169 | Italy | utility / trainer | 2 | |||
| UAV | ||||||
| AAI RQ-7 Shadow | United States | surveillance | 16 | 4 TUAS ordered in 2010 [12] | ||
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat aircraft | |||||
| AV-8B Harrier II | United States | ground attack | AV-8B+ | 14 [10] | V/STOL capable aircraft |
| F-35 Lightning II | United States | multirole | F-35B | 6 [2] | 20 on order [2] |
| Transport | |||||
| Piaggio P.180 | Italy | transport | 3 [10] | ||
| Helicopter | |||||
| AgustaWestland AW101 | Italy / United Kingdom | VERTREP / SAR | 17 [10] | 4 dedicated for the AEW role | |
| Agusta-Bell 212 | Italy | ASW / utility | 33 [10] | licensed built by Agusta | |
| NHIndustries NH90 | European Union | ASW / Transport | NFH /TTH | 56 | |
| Trainer aircraft | |||||
| AV-8B Harrier II | United States | conversion trainer | TAV-8B | 1 [10] | V/STOL capable aircraft |
| UAV | |||||
| Camcopter S-100 | Austria | surveillance | 2 [13] [14] | ||
| Boeing Insitu ScanEagle | United States | surveillance | 10 [15] | ||
| Aircraft [16] | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed-wing | |||||
| Piaggio P180 Avanti | Italy | patrol | Avanti II | ||
| Helicopter | |||||
| Agusta-Bell AB412 | Italy | SAR / utility | 412SP/HP | licensed built by Agusta | |
| AgustaWestland AW109 | Italy | utility / patrol | 109A/E/Mk.II | ||
The Italian Armed Forces encompass the Italian Army, the Italian Navy and the Italian Air Force. A fourth branch of the armed forces, known as the Carabinieri, take on the role as the nation's military police and are also involved in missions and operations abroad as a combat force. Despite not being a branch of the armed forces, the Guardia di Finanza is organized along military lines. These five forces comprise a total of 340,885 men and women with the official status of active military personnel, of which 167,057 are in the Army, Navy and Air Force. The President of the Italian Republic heads the armed forces as the President of the High Council of Defence established by article 87 of the Constitution of Italy. According to article 78, the Parliament has the authority to declare a state of war and vest the powers to lead the war in the Government.
The Italian Air Force is the air force of the Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by King Victor Emmanuel III as the Regia Aeronautica. After World War II, when Italy became a republic following a referendum, the Regia Aeronautica was given its current name. Since its formation, the service has held a prominent role in modern Italian military history. The acrobatic display team is the Frecce Tricolori.
The NHIndustries NH90 is a European medium-sized, twin-engine, multirole military helicopter. It was the first production helicopter to feature entirely fly-by-wire flight controls. There is extensive use of composite materials and electronic sensors. The helicopter has two main versions, the TTH oriented towards land applications and the NFH, oriented towards naval use and focused on such tasks as ASW and marine SAR. Over 500 have been produced for a dozen users, and it remains in production.
The Boeing KC-767 is a military aerial refueling tanker and transport aircraft developed from the Boeing 767-200ER. The tanker received the designation KC-767A, after being selected by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) initially to replace older KC-135Es. In December 2003, the contract was frozen and later canceled due to corruption allegations.
The Caproni Ca.3 is an Italian heavy bomber of World War I and the postwar era. It was the most produced version of the series of aircraft that began with the 1914 Caproni Ca.1 and continued until the more powerful 1917 Caproni Ca.5 variant.
The Italian Navy is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the Regia Marina after World War II. As of August 2014, the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active personnel, with approximately 184 vessels in service, including minor auxiliary vessels. It is considered a multiregional and a blue-water navy.
The Italian Special Forces include special forces units from several branches of the Italian Armed Forces: the Esercito Italiano (Army), the Marina Militare (Navy), the Aeronautica Militare and the Arma dei Carabinieri (Gendarmerie).
The Spanish Air and Space Force (SASF) is the aerial and space warfare branch of the Spanish Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Defence is the government body of the Italian Republic responsible for military and civil defence matters and managing the Italian Armed Forces. It is led by the Italian Minister of Defence, a position occupied by Guido Crosetto since October 2022.
The Alenia C-27J Spartan is a military transport aircraft developed and manufactured by Leonardo's Aircraft Division. It is an advanced derivative of the former Alenia Aeronautica's earlier G.222, equipped with the engines and various other systems also used on the larger Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. In addition to the standard transport configuration, specialized variants of the C-27J have been developed for maritime patrol, search and rescue, C3 ISR, fire support/ground-attack and electronic warfare missions.
The 1st Carabinieri Paratroopers Regiment "Tuscania" is a special operations unit of the Italian Carabinieri. Together with the 7th Carabinieri Regiment in Laives, the 13th Carabinieri Regiment in Gorizia, and the Special Intervention Group it forms the 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade. The regiment is based in Livorno, and has approximately 550 personnel.
The Italian Naval Aviation is the naval air component of the Italian Navy composed of around 2000 men and women and 69 aircraft and helicopters.
The article provides an overview of the entire chain of command and organization of the Italian Air Force as of 1 January 2018 and includes all currently active units. The Armed Forces of Italy are under the command of the Italian Supreme Defense Council, presided over by the President of the Italian Republic.
The uniforms of the Italian Armed Forces include the official dress worn by members of the Italian Armed Forces while on duty. Each of the branches of the Italian Armed Forces, the Italian Army, the Italian Navy, the Italian Air Force, and the Carabinieri Corps, maintains its own style of dress. The Italian Armed Forces have an extensive history, during which they have undergone changes in the equipment they use, and the military uniforms they wear.
The 7th Army Aviation Regiment "Vega" is an Italian Army regiment based at Rimini Airport in the Emilia Romagna. The regiment is part of the army aviation and assigned to the Airmobile Brigade "Friuli". The regiment, together with the 5th Army Aviation Regiment "Rigel", constitutes the Italian Army's combat aviation and tactical lift capability.
The following is the structure of the Italian Navy as of June 2020. It is considered a multiregional and a blue-water navy.
Alberto Briganti was a General in the Regia Aeronautica during World War II, and in the Aeronautica Militare after the war.
The Ministry of Aeronautics was a department of the Kingdom of Italy, and subsequently of the Italian Republic, with jurisdiction over both military and civil aviation. Established in 1925, it was abolished in 1947 when it merged with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of the Navy to form the Ministry of Defence.
 Esercito Italiano (Army)  Marina Militare (Navy)  Aeronautica Militare (Air Force)  Arma dei Carabinieri (Gendarmerie) | |||||||
| Leadership | |||||||
| Ranks |
| ||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
