Italy orders nine Aermacchi M-346s

Finmeccanica has signed a $337 million contract with the Italian Ministry of Defence for another nine Aermacchi M-346 advanced training aircraft for the Italian Air Force, the company announced on 22 March.

This contract takes the number of Aermacchi M-346 aircraft ordered by Italy to 18. Delivery of the aircraft will commence in 2016 and be complete by 2018. 

Finmeccanica will also provide logistics support and an additional development phase of the advanced integrated training systems based around the aircraft. The systems include infrastructure, simulators and digital training aids at the Lecce-Galatina Air Force Base.

Mauro Moretti, chief executive officer and general manager, Finmeccanica, said: ‘The Aermacchi M-346 is the most advanced trainer aircraft available on the market today, the only one in the world designed to train pilots who will go on to fly new-generation, high performance defence aircraft. It has won all the most important international bids and we have chosen it to be in the running to be the platform on which the new American Top Guns’ trainer aircraft will be based.’