Italy Orders M346 Jet Trainers
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At the 2009 Le Bourget air show, Alenia Aeronautica announced [PDF] that Italy’s Air Force has signed a long-awaited contract to buy Alenia’s new M346 Master advanced trainer jet. This initial agreement covers 6 jets and an integrated training service, with an option for another 9 aircraft.
Alenia’s M346 advanced trainer and light attack jet began life in 1993, as a collaboration with Russia….
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It was also something of a breakthrough Alenia Aermacchi, confirming that the Finmeccanica subsidiary could autonomously design and manufacture advanced aircraft with full authority quadriplex Fly-by-Wire controls. Those controls, the aircraft’s design for vortex lift aerodynamics, and a thrust:weight ratio of nearly 1:1 from its Fiat Avio/Honeywell ITEC F124-GA-200 turbofans, allow it to remain fully controllable even at angles of attack over 35 degrees. This is useful for simulating the capabilities of advanced 4+ generation fighters like the F/A-18 Super Hornet, Eurofighter, and Rafale. Not to mention Sukhoi’s SU-30 family, which has made a name for itself at international air shows with remarkable nose-high maneuvers.
The partners eventually went their separate ways, and Russia’s Yak-130 went on to take orders from Russia and Algeria. It uses Russian equipment, avionics, radar, and weapons, and is powered by a pair of AI-222-25 or Povazske Strojarne DV-2SM (export option) turbofans.
Despite serious development work since 2000, however, aided by the Italian Ministry for Economic Development, Alenia’s M346 had no confirmed customers at all.
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Its first breakthrough came earlier this year at IDEX 2009, when the UAE selected it for a 48-plane order. That deal is still in negotiations, but is estimated to be worth about EUR 1 billion.
The cost of this Italian deal for 15 aircraft was not disclosed, but based on comparable value calculations, it would be worth around EUR 300 million if all options are exercised. The Aeronautica Militare’s current trainer fleet of 102 MB-339s also offers room for future sales beyond the initial 15, as only 30 of its existing trainers have been modernized to the MB-339CD variant.
Not so coincidentally, the Italian agreement also includes a series of joint initiatives between Alenia Aermacchi and the Italian Air Force to develop international training support capabilities for the Air Forces of other countries through flight simulators, GBTS (Ground Based Training System) and integrated logistics. Canada’s CAE is currently executing a simulator contract for the M346, and can be expected to be part of that solution.
The Italian Defence Ministry was heavily involved in supporting the M346 Master’s UAE bid, and Alenia Aermacchi states that their plane is seeking potential orders in Singapore (reportedly short-listed), Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Ecuador, Qatar, Greece and Chile.
