The first operational squadron of the Italian air force, the 103°
Gruppo of 51°
Stormo formed in November 1989, with the first Italian unit also forming in 1989. Both the Italian and Brazilian AMX fleets were grounded in February 1992, following the crash of an Italian AMX due to engine failure. Operations were allowed to restart in May of that year, following modification of the engines. Italy assigned six AMXs from 103°
Gruppo to operations over
Bosnia in 1995 as part of
Operation Deny Flight, which was followed by a similar deployment in support of the
IFOR peacekeepers in Bosnia. This deployment was interrupted by another grounding, again due to engine failure, between January and March 1996. Italian AMX aircraft were used in 1999 in the
Kosovo war. Instead of using unguided or more traditional
laser-guided bombs, the Italian Air Force used dozens of
Mk 82 bombs fitted with
Opher Israeli guidance kits, effectively converting the "dumb" bombs into an
infrared-guided bomb. In the late 1990s, AMX International was considering a major engine refit; a non-
afterburning variant of the
Eurojet EJ200 was proposed, with considerably more thrust than the existing powerplant. In 2005, the Italian Air Force launched an upgrade programme (ACOL
Aggionamento Capacità Operative e Logistiche – Operational and Logistical Capability Upgrade) for 55 of its AMXs, adding a new
laser INS, new cockpit displays and allowing the aircraft to drop
Joint Direct Attack Munition guided bombs. In August 2007, Embraer began a major midlife upgrade programme and modernisation of 53 Brazilian Air Force AMX A-1s, focusing on avionics systems and new armament additions; the programme is estimated to have extended the lifespan of the fleet beyond 2027. Starting in November 2009, four Italian AMXs were deployed overseas for operations in Afghanistan, replacing the same number of Italian Tornado IDS in the reconnaissance role. Of particular note is the aircraft's ability to share digital electro-optical and infrared sensor information with ground troops in real time, providing valuable reconnaissance information and helping to minimise threat exposure. By the end of 2010 over 700 combat missions had been flown in the Afghan theatre. On 28 May 2014, the AMX performed its last combat sortie in the Afghan theatre, and on 20 June 2014, all remaining AMXs were withdrawn from Afghanistan. In 2011, Italian AMX aircraft were employed during the
2011 military intervention in Libya. Italian military aircraft deployed 710 guided bombs and missiles during sorties: Italian Air Force Tornados and AMX fighter bombers deployed 550 bombs and missiles, while Navy AV-8Bs deployed 160 guided bombs. The conflict saw the first use by AMX aircraft of
Litening targeting pods paired with
Paveway and JDAM guided bombs. In early 2016, due to the declining stability of Libya, Italy opted to station additional aircraft, including four AMX fighters, at
Bassi Airbase,
Trapani,
Sicily. In March 2012, the Philippines were reportedly holding negotiations with Italy for the possible procurement of used AMX aircraft; however, on 28 March 2014, the Philippines' Department of National Defense signed a contract for 12
FA-50 light attack aircraft worth P18.9 billion (US$421.12 million). The Italian Air Force held a retirement ceremony on 5 April 2024 at Istrana Air Base in northern Italy. ==Variants==