Italy’s Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II final assembly and check out (FACO) facility in Cameri has delivered eight F-35As. Lockheed Martin said four currently reside at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for international pilot training, while the other half are at an air base on the Adriatic coast. Italy’s FACO recently became one step closer to being able to deliver F-35B, the short-take-off-and-vertical-landing (STOVL) variant.

According to Lockheed Martin, Italy’s first domestically assembled F-35B has recently taken its maiden flight. The first flight occurred Oct. 25. It wasn’t until Monday, during the third and final acceptance flight, that the aircraft successfully operated in STOVL modes.