Itamilradar

For the first time, an Italian aircraft has shot down an unmanned aircraft during a real-world mission. Here’s what we know about what happened over eastern Latvia. 👇 https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/08/14/italian-eurofighter-shoots-down-drone-over-latvia-marking-a-new-step-for-nato-air-defence/

It’s a mission we have tracked several times before, but not recently. For Turkey, it is a way of marking its presence in an area that is now almost entirely Greek-controlled, further fuelling the already strong tensions between the two countries. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/08/12/turkish-navy-p-72mpa-returns-to-the-northern-aegean-staying-outside-greek-airspace/

In the future competition for a new British trainer aircraft, the Italian trainer is not among the favourites, but it is certainly not entering the race as a defeated contender either. Here’s why. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/08/10/raf-moves-toward-new-jet-trainer-competition-opening-another-door-for-leonardos-m-346/

The Italian Navy’s submarine Salvatore Todaro has left La Spezia after completing its maintenance period and is now preparing to return to operational service. With Todaro’s return, the Italian Navy’s Type 212A fleet should now have only two submarines undergoing maintenance, an important step for the availability of Italy’s submarine force. 👉 Read the full story on ItaMilRadar: https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/08/08/italian-navy-submarine-salvatore-todaro-leaves-la-spezia-after-maintenance-returning-to-operational-service

Movements to and from the Middle East continue. Today, two "stragglers" also arrived at RAF Fairford. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/08/07/usaf-f-22-raptors-resume-return-to-the-u-s-as-kc-135-escort-reveals-next-stage-of-redeployment/

Strengthening NATO's Baltic Air Defence: alongside the Typhoons, Turkish F-16s are now operational in Estonia. 👉 Details: https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/08/07/turkish-f-16s-arrive-in-estonia-as-nato-strengthens-its-baltic-air-defence/

Officially, today Italy unveiled its military commitment in support of Saudi Arabia. But for more than three months, flight tracking had already revealed that something was quietly taking shape behind the scenes. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/31/italy-confirms-saudi-air-deployment-as-months-of-itamilradar-tracking-reveal-the-build-up/

Following the conclusion of its deployment in Romania, the Italian Air Force will shift its focus to Lithuania on August 1, taking over NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/29/italy-concludes-its-contribution-to-nato-air-policing-mission-in-romania

Italian military aid to Ukraine continue. Today, the Italian Air Force deployed a KC-767A, currently its largest strategic airlifter and the aircraft with the highest payload capacity in the fleet, to support the strategic airlift route to Rzeszów. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/28/italian-air-force-kc-767a-returns-to-rzeszow-as-strategic-airlift-hub-remains-active-for-ukraine/

It is interesting to see the Italian Air Force's continued use of Taif, a pattern we have observed since the beginning of the Gulf conflict. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/27/italian-air-force-uses-taif-as-forward-hub-for-gulf-operations-signaling-a-more-flexible-regional-posture/

Today's sortie marked the 6th mission in the last 6 days, confirming that the USN Triton is now operating daily from NAS Sigonella. Its last mission from Jordan was flown on July 20. Since then, the same aircraft has been operating exclusively from Italy. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/26/the-u-s-navys-mq-4c-triton-continues-its-intense-operational-tempo-from-nas-sigonella/

⚠️ Starting today, you can subscribe to ItaMilRadar Article Alerts, a simple email notification service that lets you know whenever a new article is published. This isn't a traditional newsletter. You won't receive weekly digests or promotional emails—just a short email with the article title, a brief preview, and a direct link to continue reading on the website. If you'd like to try it, you can subscribe here: 👉 https://www.itamilradar.com/article-alerts/

This morning, Romanian F-16s shot down a third drone in as many days. Meanwhile, NATO's posture in the region continues to strengthen. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/26/romania-shoots-down-another-drone-over-territorial-waters-as-nato-surveillance-intensifies/

A pair of Italian Eurofighter Typhoons also took part in the NATO scramble, and the UAV was ultimately shot down. However, the exact sequence of the engagement remains unclear, and it has not yet been confirmed whether the drone was downed by the Italian fighters, the Romanian F-16s, or another air defence asset involved in the operation. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/24/uav-shot-down-over-romania-following-nato-scramble-role-of-italian-eurofighters-still-unclear/

The operation, carried out by the Italian Navy's ITS Paolo Thaon di Revel, took place southeast of Sicily. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/23/italian-ppa-thaon-di-revel-boards-suspected-shadow-fleet-tanker-highlighting-eus-growing-maritime-enforcement/

Two other noteworthy USAF assets arrived in the UK this morning, likely as a staging stop before a deployment to the Middle East. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/23/usaf-ea-37b-compass-call-aircraft-reach-raf-fairford-signaling-another-electronic-warfare-deployment-toward-the-middle-east/

While it may not generate the same attention as fighters or bombers, the E-11A delivers a capability that is fundamental to coordinating modern coalition operations. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/22/usaf-e-11a-heads-toward-saudi-arabia-after-stop-at-ramstein-strengthening-airborne-communications-in-the-middle-east/

Last night, a new aerial refueling mission was carried out over the Eastern Mediterranean, with several USAF tankers supporting at least one B-1B Lancer en route to Iran for a bombing mission. It remains unclear, however, whether the strike was ultimately carried out. The only confirmed part of the operation remains the refueling activity over the Eastern Mediterranean. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/22/us-b-1b-lancer-bomber-flies-strike-mission-against-iran-after-departing-raf-fairford/

The Italian trainer continues its successful run, securing another export order with Indonesia's purchase of 12 M-346F Block 20 aircraft. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/21/indonesia-orders-12-leonardo-m-346f-block-20-aircraft-expanding-the-global-reach-of-italys-advanced-light-fighter/

This morning, five USAF KC-135 arrived at NAS Sigonella, joining other tankers already stationed at the Sicilian base. https://www.itamilradar.com/2026/07/21/five-more-usaf-kc-135-tankers-arrive-at-nas-sigonella-strengthening-the-air-refueling-network-supporting-operations-against-iran/