Leonardo M-346 Thread

[Flyaway]

The success story today has an unexpected outcome:

Israel, Greece sign $1.7 billion deal for Air Force training

The Hellenic Air Force will acquire 10 M-346 aircraft, and Israel’s Elbit Systems will establish a flight school and maintain training aircraft.

www.defensenews.com

Notice how the Greek armed services, weeks ago still unduly overlooked among Europeans just completly reshaped the Southern defence of the Non-Nato alliance of that continent (Greece, Israel, UAE that will probably aggregates more Mediterranean actors).

And amazingly the raw cost of the contract will put the M-346 in the same ballpark as the Rafale, according to the recent sale (?).

Well if you are going to get your pilots trained and your own trainers trained you might as well go to one of the best.

 

[helmutkohl]

Nigeria to receive 6 M-346 this year

kind of interested if the M-346 ever went head to head with its cousin, the Yak-130. it was long assumed that they would focus on different markets, but Nigeria seems to be a place that buys east and west. their M-346 will lead into their new JF-17s

6 of 24 M-346FA aircraft Nigeria ordered from Italy to be delivered before Q3, 2021 – SundiataPost

At least six aircraft of the 24 Leonardo M-346FA light fighter aircraft ordered by Nigeria will be delivered before Q3/2021. The modern Italian platform is inte

sundiatapost.com

 

[helmutkohl]

more good news for the M-346
another order with Elbit which seems to be related to Greece
also another undisclosed customer

Leonardo nets ‘major export order’ for M-346 trainer

Leonardo appears to have secured a new order for its M-346 advanced jet trainer on top of a likely commitment from Elbit Systems for the type.

www.flightglobal.com

 

[helmutkohl]

https://aircosmosinternational.com/article/nigeria-buys-two-m-346-squadrons-3162 More M-346 for Nigeria!

 

[helmutkohl]

May 31st news but not posted yet

M-346 In Exotic Color Scheme For Undisclosed Export Customer Breaks Cover

An M-346 sporting the color scheme resembling the one applied to the Turkmenistan or Azerbaijan's jets has been spotted in Italy last week. A pretty

theaviationist.com

unknown M-346 export flying around

based on the colors..could be
Azeri

or Turkmen..

I put my money on Turkmen since Leonardo actually went there to promote it

 

[helmutkohl]

two days ago, a video of the Turkmenistan president flying in the M-346 emerges
this also means officially, Turkmenistan was that "secret" customer. case closed

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f51lG_SH_kI


I am also surprised they went for the M-346 instead of the Yak-130. I had assumed that the two agreed, as a part of the split, to focus on different markets.

 

[aonestudio]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1496444268101222406

View: https://twitter.com/LDO_Aircraft/status/1496444268101222406

M-346FA - Light Combat Aircraft

The Fighter Attack variant is a multi-role light-weight fighter equipped with the multi-mode Grifo-M346 radar and Identification Friend or Foe (IFF)

aircraft.leonardo.com

 

[FighterJock]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1496444268101222406

View: https://twitter.com/LDO_Aircraft/status/1496444268101222406

M-346FA - Light Combat Aircraft

The Fighter Attack variant is a multi-role light-weight fighter equipped with the multi-mode Grifo-M346 radar and Identification Friend or Foe (IFF)

aircraft.leonardo.com

I really like the new paint job on the M346FA, it looks really smart.

 

[TomcatViP]

From the link above:

 

[TomcatViP]

M-346 Crashes During Test Flight In Northern Italy. One Of The Two Crew Members Killed In The Incident

An M-346 destined to an export customer crashed in the mountains near Como. The crew ejected: one found dead, the other rescued and hospitalized. An M-346

theaviationist.com

 

[archipeppe]

It's a sad day....

 

[TomcatViP]

Following the delivery of the M-346, the Polish Air Force entered a transition phase and now, with this certification, Polish pilots will be able to complete at Dęblin all their advanced training up to the IFF phase. Notably, the training was certified also for the future F-35 pilots therefore, like their 4th gen counterparts, they will only move to the United States when ready to attend the F-35 B-Course at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The assessment team also found room for further improvement, beginning from the number of flight simulators.

U.S. Air Force Certifies Polish Air Force M-346 Training System For Future F-16 And F-35 Pilots

The certification attests that the training of Polish pilots is equivalent to the training performed in the USA on the T-38C up to the Introduction to

theaviationist.com

 

[gral_rj]

Leonardo has reportedly offered the M-346 to the Brazilian Air Force. Whether this offer will go anywhere is anyone's guess.

 

[bobbymike]

IDEX 2023: Leonardo highlights fifth-generation features of fighter-attack aircraft | Shephard

The M-346 fighter-attack aircraft is intended as an optimal solution for smaller, less advanced air forces, or can complement more sophisticated jets with higher costs per flight hour.

www.shephardmedia.com

 

[helmutkohl]

model of M-346 appears in Japanese colors
source: Official Leonardo page

 

[Maro.Kyo]

About on par with the T-50 family:

• M346: 153 delivered or on order across 11 operators
• T-50 family: 272 delivered or on order across 7 operators

The number differences are quite huge to call that they are on par, imo. T-50 variant export numbers are already as much as total M-346 production and order combined. At this point they are clearly in different market segments, although their variants overlap in terms of intended roles.