In 2005, with the suspension of compulsory military service, an era came to a close, and in the following years, the Italian Air Force completed the transition process towards becoming a force composed entirely of professionals.
With the new millennium, we also witnessed the retirement of the F-104 Starfighter, which had operated alongside the Tornado ADV and later with the F-16 ADF, making way for the Eurofighter F-2000 ‘Typhoon.’ In 2011, a new crisis broke out in the Mediterranean, in Libya, and once again, the Italian Air Force actively participated in the aerial campaign, which took shape in the operations ‘Odyssey Dawn’ and ‘Unified Protector’.
The extensive computerisation process sweeping the globe also affects the Italian Air Force, which is rapidly adapting by transforming training programmes at its institutes and flight schools. This change was necessitated by the introduction of a fifth-generation aircraft, the Lockheed F-35, equipped with a wide array of capabilities that give it exceptional potential. The balance of air power is no longer tipped towards superiority in kinetic terms or measured by firepower, but rather in information technology. Technology, training, flexibility, interoperability, and projection of power are the key elements enabling the Air Force to demonstrate its efficiency as it participates in missions in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Djibouti, Lebanon, and in Air Policing activities conducted under the auspices of the Atlantic Alliance. There is also an unwavering commitment to protect national airspace through participation in Operation Mare Nostrum and Operation Mare Sicuro, and in support of populations struck by natural disasters.
In 2020, the severe health emergency caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, Covid-19, once again saw the Italian Air Force at the forefront, assisting the population by helping to keep hospitals operational, conduct vaccination campaigns, and ensure the airborne transport of patients in biocontainment.
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