M-346s For Italy

摘要

Alenia Aermacchi and the Direzione Generale per gli Armamenti Aeronautid (the Italian military aircraft procurement agency) signed a contract on November 10 for six M-346 Master advanced trainers for the Italian Air Force, which will be known as T-346As. The deal is worth €220 million (￡198 million) and in addition to the aircraft includes flight simulators as part of a ground-based training system developed by CAE, logistical support, training of military personnel and the creation of infrastructure at Lecce to support the trainers. The order is part of a larger programme by which the Italian Air Force will eventually acquire 15 T-346As. Italy will become the first nation to put a M-346 variant into service. The first T-346As are due to be delivered by the end of 2010 and will initially be assigned to the Reparto Sperimentale Volo (RSV, Flight Testing Department) at Pratica di Mare, where the first operational tests are due to be undertaken. The other four will be handed over to the Italian Air Force by the end of 2011.