Leonardo M-346

Austria has finalized contracts to acquire Leonardo’s M-346 advanced jet trainer to replace the Saab 105s that were retired five years ago.

Should Textron Aviation Defense win the Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System program, the company will assemble the Beechcraft M-346N in Kansas.

Boeing and Leonardo have declared their interest in bidding to replace the UK’s fleet of BAE Systems Hawk jet trainers, and others are expected to follow.

Faced with a persistent pilot shortage, the U.S. Air Force in 2022 set a demanding goal of training 1,500 pilots per year to chip away at the issue.

The U.S. Air Force is to send pilots for advanced flight training to the Italian Air Force and Leonardo-run International Flight Training School in Sardinia.

First in line among the Austrian Air Force’s modernization priorities is the replacement of Austria’s Eurofighter Typhoon fleet, which remains in the earliest T1 configuration.

The Austrian Air Force is looking to define the requirements for its Eurofighter Typhoon replacement effort this year.

Leonardo and Romania’s Avioane Craiova have teamed up to cooperate on proposals to sell the M-345 and M-346 jet trainers and training system to the country.

Recent weeks have seen British media outlets infatuated not by warfighting capability, but by the future of the UK’s fleet of jet trainers.

The Italian Air Force has been working to acquire a well-rounded set of assets that will enable it to operate effectively alongside allies in both Europe and Asia, and has funded the purchase of an 25 additional F-35s, bringing Italy’s total planned fleet to 115.

Leonardo has established a new aeronautics division, consolidating the company’s fixed-wing crewed aircraft, aerostructures and UAS work under one roof.

The decision to avoid carrier-representative landings means less engineering and faster development.

For more information about Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s (AWIN) 2025 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast and other Aviation Week data products, please see: https://pgs.aviationweek.com/forecast.

A new cockpit layout planned for the upgraded Block 20 version of the M-346 advanced jet trainer has been unveiled by Leonardo.

A monthslong drama is playing out mostly behind the scenes over the future of South America's largest active fighter deal.

According to data from Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s Fleet Discovery Military tool, combined open requirements for training aircraft of all mission types total an eye-opening 1,051 aircraft.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

After being passed over by Spain, Leonardo nets an Austrian purchase of 12 M-346 trainers.

Nigeria’s Air Force will receive 12 ex-French Air Force Alpha Jet trainers as part of its growth in capacity to deal with Islamic extremism.

A growing reputation from global air forces is putting Italy’s International Flight Training School on the map.

For more information about Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s (AWIN) 2024 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast and other Aviation Week data products, please see: https://pgs.aviationweek.com/forecast

The purchase forms part of the third phase of the country’s F-35 procurement program.

The Italian Air Force plans to use Leonardo’s M-346 twin-engine advanced jet trainer as the future mount for its aerobatic display team.

Austria is considering a joint procurement with Italy of Leonardo M-346 trainers to replace the Saab 105 aircraft it retired in 2020.

Leonardo is upgrading its M-346 advanced trainer with new cockpit avionics to ensure it is ready to train pilots for the newest combat aircraft.