Italy moves out with Tempest grand spending plan
Tempest concept art (Photo: Crown copyright)
The Italian Ministry of Defence has outlined a comprehensive spending plan for the Tempest Future Combat Air System (FCAS) which includes a €2 billion ($2.4 billion) investment over the next 15 years.
Details of the plans were published in Italy’s multiyear policy document (Documento Programmatico Pluriennale) or DPP for 2021–23 on 5 August.
The document revealed that Tempest funding would increase gradually from €20 million ($23.6 million) annually in 2021-2023 to €90 million ($106.2 million) between 2024-2026 and peak at €1.85 billion ($2.2 billion) during 2027-2035.
Although the funding will be a welcome boost for the multinational Tempest effort, the figure of
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Defence Notes
-
“Capital follows confidence” as defence courts private money
Outside investment and the direction in which venture money flows may reveal what defence will buy years before formal programmes begin.
-
Canada’s new military drone marketplace targets rapid acquisition pipeline
The Department of National Defence expects initial contracts to deliver thousands of uncrewed systems, but has yet to establish the quantities, capability mix or deadline behind Ottawa’s promised tenfold expansion.
-
Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
-
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.