Swiss F-35A Production Reaches Milestone at Italy’s Cameri Facility

Production of major components for the Swiss Air Force’s future F-35A Lightning II fleet is underway at the Leonardo-operated Cameri facility in northern Italy. According to recent updates, the structural fuselage section for aircraft J-6004, along with its wings, is currently being manufactured at the site.

Cameri serves as the only F-35 final assembly and check-out (FACO) facility in Europe. Once the structural work is completed in Italy, the fuselage and wings will be transported to Lockheed Martin’s primary plant in Fort Worth, Texas, for final integration with other aircraft components. This process underscores the highly integrated nature of the global F-35 supply chain, which involves over 2,100 suppliers worldwide.

Armasuisse, the Swiss federal agency for defense procurement, noted that the involvement of the Cameri plant highlights Switzerland’s commitment to European industrial and security cooperation. The facility holds the capacity to produce up to 20 aircraft annually and is responsible for manufacturing approximately one-third of all F-35 wings globally.

The procurement schedule dictates that the first eight U.S.-built F-35As will be based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas beginning in mid-2027 to facilitate pilot and ground crew training. The first F-35A produced specifically at the Cameri facility is expected to arrive in Switzerland by mid-2028. Following delivery, the Swiss military plans to integrate the aircraft into operational service at three airfields: Payerne in 2028, Meiringen in 2030, and Emmen in 2032.