UPDATE 1-Italy, Turkey to service F-35 jet, engine in Europe-Pentagon
December 11, 2014 at 12:44 PM EST
WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department on Thursday said it had chosen Italy to provide initial heavy maintenance of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet in Europe from 2018, and Turkey to provide initial heavy maintenance for the jet's engines in the region.