Italy Investigates the Loss of 2,500 Military Aircraft Components

Italian investigators are investigating the disappearance of thousands of important avionics components from an air force warehouse in Brindisi, amid allegations of theft and possible resale abroad.

The missing components include almost 2,500 avionics or vital electronic devices and other spare parts for fighter and transport aircraft, with a total value of around 17 million euros (around Rp337 billion), according to a report by daily la Repubblica on Tuesday (24/2).

As reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, the spare parts are intended for the Panavia Tornado fighter jet, the AMX International AMX attack aircraft, and the C-130 military transport aircraft.

The Rome prosecutor's office and the military prosecutor's office have opened investigations against about a dozen heads of air force logistics units, several generals, as well as executives of GE Avio, an American multinational company that is part of General Electric that leads the development and maintenance of systems and engine modules for civilian and military aircraft.

The shortage of aircraft components was reportedly revealed in an internal audit of warehouses at the Brindisi air base, which plays a key role in the Italian air force's logistics and maintenance system.

One of the allegations being investigated says that some of the equipment may have been sent to South American countries, including Brazil.