Leonardo Books First Order for M-346FA Light Fighter, First Export Order for M-345

Italy’s Leonardo has made the first export sale of its M-346FA light fighter/attack aircraft, derived from the M-346 Master light jet trainer pictured here, as well as the first export order for the M-345 basic trainer. (Leonardo photo)

Leonardo booked an order in July for six M-346FA light fighter/attack aircraft, Leonardo SpA CEO Alessandro Profumo revealed during a press conference following the publication of the company’s 2019 first-half results on July 30.

He declined to reveal the air force’s identity, noting only that it is a “major international customer.” He also said that the first export order for the M-345 basic/advanced trainer would be revealed later in the year.

Unveiled at the 2017 Paris Air Show, the M-346FA is based on the airframe of the M-346 advanced jet trainer that has been sold to Italy (designated T-346A), Israel (where it is known as the Lavi), Poland, and Singapore. It is a further evolution of the M-346FT (fighter trainer) with more weapons capability and tactical datalink added to the baseline version.

Retaining a full advanced/lead-in fighter trainer capability, the FA variant has significantly enhanced combat capability thanks to a Leonardo Grifo-346 multi-mode radar and IFF (identification friend or foe) equipment. Among the radar’s capabilities are synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and Inverse SAR for surface target identification. In track-while-scan mode, it can track up to 10 aerial targets simultaneously. Maximum range is greater than 50 nm (92 km). (end of excerpt)

Click here for the full story, on the AIN Online website.

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