Explore how the Italian Navy turned aircraft carrier Cavour into a true master of fifth-generation stealth air power at sea. Originally designed for the legacy AV-8B Harrier, Cavour underwent a massive structural overhaul at the Taranto shipyard to withstand the brutal 1,500°C exhaust of the supersonic F-35B Lightning II. From grueling trials off Norfolk with US Marine Corps squadron VX-23 to Indo-Pacific deployments alongside allied fleets, this 30,000-ton flagship proves that compact carriers can anchor high-end coalition strike packages. Armed with rapid-fire OTO Melara 76mm Strales naval guns and Aster 15 missiles, Cavour fields a sovereign defensive perimeter unmatched by most Western flattops. Now pioneering manned-unmanned teaming with naval combat drones like the folding-wing Bayraktar TB3, Italy establishes a viable blueprint for mid-sized blue-water navies worldwide.
Music provided by Liborio Conti (
Released under Creative Commons / Free for Commercial Use.
Source: European Defense
