Italy approves second phase of F-35 investment programme - minister

Italy will press ahead with an investment programme for F-35 fighter jets, Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini said, after uncertainty over further orders from the Rome government had raised questions on production plans.

"As the government aims to build on the investments made so far and seize the opportunities offered by the programme, I've decide to give a green light to the phase two," Guerini said during a parliamentary hearing on Thursday.

Luigi Di Maio, leader of the co-ruling 5-Star Movement, said last year that F-35 fighter jets were not a priority for the country and that the programme had to be reviewed in 2019.