500th Eurofighter aircraft delivered to Italian air force

April 11 (UPI) -- The 500th operational Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet was handed over to the Italian air force during a ceremony held at Leonardo's facility in Turin, Italy.

The event was attended by various military and security industry representatives, including leaders from Leonardo, NETMA, and Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug. Officials said the delivery marked an important milestone for the program.

"The 500-strong Eurofighter Typhoon fleet represents one of the largest and most capable fighter fleets in the western hemisphere, and will be the backbone of European airpower for decades to come," Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug CEO Volker Paltzo said during the ceremony.

Leonardo Aircraft Division managing director Filippo Bagnato echoed Paltzo's sentiments, noting the Eurofighter Typhoon is the largest industrial program throughout the continent.

"We are now fully committed to completing deliveries to the Italian Air Force, to develop the capabilities of the aircraft, and to the activities envisaged by Kuwait's contract, while continuing to pursue a number of significant market opportunities around the world," he said.

European armed forces have been operating the Typhoon since 2003, when the first completed jet was delivered to Britain's Royal Air Force. The service also received the 100th plane in September 2006. Germany's air force accepted the delivery of the 400th jet in 2013.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a collaboration of three major European defense contractors, including Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. Customers include armed forces in Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria and Saudi Arabia.

The aircraft itself is designed for multirole combat operations, and features a weapon bay capable of carrying up to six bombs as well as six missiles at a time. It is also equipped with a cannon and targeting pod for increased accuracy on the battlefield.