First USAFE F-35A inducted into Cameri Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade facility
April 4, 2025
Cameri is the only European assembly line for the F-35 aircraft, and also undertakes some wing and fuselage sub assembly manufacturing. Cameri is currently the main assembly line for Dutch and Italian F-35As, and for Italian F-35B aircraft. The Cameri FACO will support the assembly of F-35As for other European customers, perhaps including Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic.
The MROU (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade) facility has been operational since 2019 and serves as the European Regional Depot for F-35 maintenance and upgrade.
The MROU started to conduct maintenance activities on European F-35s in 2022, with the arrival of the first Norwegian F-35, the USAF became the fourth partner and fifth service to join the European Regional Depot, reinforcing Cameri’s role in the project.
The aircraft involved (19-5475) was drawn from the 495th Fighter Squadron, part of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, in Suffolk, and arrived at Cameri on 24 March 2025. It was one of the first four F-35s delivered to RAF Lakenheath, in 2021.
The JPO said that: “This momentous step not only brings a USAFE aircraft into an overseas regional depot for the first time but is also a testament to the programme’s commitment to global partnerships and sustainment excellence.”
