ROME, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The Italian government has

proposed spending around 1.6 billion euros ($1.78 billion) on

new jets for its aerobatic display team, a parliamentary

document showed on Tuesday.

The purchase of the 20 T346 jets built by defence group

Leonardo will run until 2038 and includes five

aircraft for training purposes.

Parliamentary committees are due to give their opinion by

next month on the plan, which is part of a three-year defence

spending programme as Italy looks to increase its military

budget.

"The programme also includes technical and logistical

support, in order to ensure the maintenance of the 20 aircraft,"

as well as courses to train pilots and personnel, the document

said.

The Frecce Tricolori, the aerobatics team of the Italian Air

Force, perform at public ceremonies where they fly in formation,

leaving behind a trail of smoke in the red, white and green

colours of the national flag.

Under the 2024-26 defence spending plan Italy is also

looking to buy an additional 25 F35 Lockheed Martin Corp fighter

jets by 2035, at a cost of around 7 billion euros, bringing the

national fleet to 115 aircraft.

In July, the government submitted to parliament a request to

boost armaments on those F35s that are already operational, at a

cost of some 680 million euros.

Rome is also planning to spend just under 7.5 billion euros

over the next 11 years on 24 new Eurofighter jets.

Italy's defence spending makes up around 1.5% of GDP --

below a 2% NATO alliance target. Other European nations have

sharply increased their defence budgets since Moscow launched an

invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

($1 = 0.8985 euros)