GENOA, Italy — The Italian government has figured out how to pay for some of its Afghanistan deployment costs without draining the core defense budget, but unlike many other countries, Rome has decided against using the special funding stream to finance major weapon systems.

However, some defense equipment is covered, including consumables such as ammunition. Otherwise, the €224 million ($336 million) allocation from the Italian parliament pays for extra training, maintenance and deployment costs for the last two months of the year.

It brings the full year special budget allotment to €1.5 billion, topping last year’s €1.2 billion in supplemental outlays.

Although major equipment items aren’t included, the budget boost means the defense department will not have to raid investment accounts to cover operational needs.

Still, urgent operational needs, such as the €83 million purchase of five Arthur counterfire radars to strike back in the event of mortar attacks, remain in the core spending plan. Manufacturers Saab Microwave and Selex Sistemi Integrati are to deliver the first of the systems in 18 months, with the final models to be handed over within 35 months; the systems will be fielded directly to Italian forces in Afghanistan.

Italy also is buying another two General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft, which come on top of four of the armed UAVs already on order. The first should be delivered no later than February, although Italian defense officials say they still are hoping for a handover this year (Aerospace DAILY, Oct. 30).

Italy also is in the process of sending four AMX attack aircraft to Afghanistan to be stationed in Herat. Those aircraft are equipped with the RecceLite pod. Like the Tornados, the AMX offensive actions are limited to gun use. The four aircraft would replace two Tornados now at Mazar-e-Sharif. The AMX were called up because Herat couldn’t support another two Tornados. The Tornados are due back in Italy by year’s end.

Meanwhile the Italian defense ministry has announced that the “reinforcements” deployed during the election period — around 400 additional troops — are now headed home after Hamid Karzai was confirmed as the country’s president following the disputed election and the decision by his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, not to stand in a runoff.

Photo: USAF