Leonardo and the Ministry of National Defense of Poland have signed a contract to supply four additional M-346 Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT) aircraft that will join the fleet of eight aircraft already in service at the Air Force within 2020 Polish. The contract has a value of over 115 million euros and includes options for four other aircraft and related logistical support.
"This contract further strengthens the close collaboration between Leonardo and Poland, a country where our technologies and skills are already deeply rooted, once again underlining the excellent capabilities of the latest generation fighter pilot training system based on the M- 346. Training will be an increasingly important part of Leonardo's offer, as illustrated in the company's 2018-2022 Business Plan. The training and advanced services, in fact, allow to develop a deep understanding of customer needs, thus laying the foundations for long-term partnerships ”said Alessandro Profumo, CEO of Leonardo.
The new success of the M-346 consolidates Leonardo's presence in Poland, where the company employs 3.000 highly qualified employees at the helicopter plant in Świdnik, near Lublin. Leonardo also boasts a long-standing collaboration with the Polish PGZ industry within the Rosomak program relating to the supply of the 30 mm Hitfist turret to the Polish Army. Leonardo also significantly contributes to the security of the country through various programs, including the supply of the ground segment dedicated to the management and analysis of data from the COSMO-SkyMed earth observation satellites, radar systems for air defense and coastal surveillance systems. Activities that Leonardo carried out thanks to a strong collaboration relationship with the Government and local industries and which today allow the company to apply for the role of reference partner for the needs and main requirements of Poland in aerospace, defense and cybersecurity.
The M-346 is the most advanced training aircraft on the market today, the only one specially designed to train pilots for new generation high performance military aircraft. The large flight envelope, high thrust / weight ratio and extreme maneuverability allow the M-346 to offer similar flight conditions to the latest generation fighter aircraft. This maximizes the effectiveness of training and reduces the need to perform missions on more expensive and complex operating aircraft.
Embedded Tactical Training Simulation (ETTS) allows the M-346 to emulate sensors, countermeasures and armaments, and pilots to interact in real time
with a virtual tactical scenario, with the advantage of greater flexibility and lower costs. Thanks to the data presentation system on the helmet (Helmet Mounted Display), to the voice commands, to the air supply probe and to the possibility of bringing up to 3.000 kilos of external loads, the M-346 can also perform a complete tactical training.
The M-346 is the basis of the integrated training system T-100, the solution offered by Leonardo DRS for the competition, called TX, for the future training aircraft of the US Air Force.
DEEPENING
Leonardo is among the top ten companies in the world at Aerospace, Defense and Security and the leading Italian industrial company. Since January, 2016 has been operating as a company organized in seven business divisions (Helicopters, Aircrafts, Aerostructures, Aircraft and Space Systems, Defense and Defense Systems, Security Systems and Information Systems), Leonardo competes on most important international markets leveraging its own areas of technological and product leadership. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), 2016 Leonardo recorded consolidated revenues of 12 billion and has a significant industrial presence in Italy, the United Kingdom, the USA and Poland.