Leonardo yesterday delivered to the Italian Air Force the first two M-345, whose identification number of the Forza Armed is T-345A.
The Air Force has ordered 18 M-345 to date as part of an overall requirement of 45 airplanes that will have to progressively replace the 137 MB-339s that entered the line from 1982.
Marco Zoff, Head of Leonardo's Aircraft Division, declared: “heir to a long tradition in the field of training jets, the M-345 will allow customer Air Forces to significantly improve training effectiveness and reduce operating costs. This first delivery to the Air Force represents an important result, the result of a long and fruitful team work carried out with the Armed Force ".
The new M-345, designed to meet the basic and basic-advanced training requirements, will integrate the M-346s used for the advanced phase of pilot training, supporting the consolidation of the growth process of the Air Force's training capabilities. .
The integrated training system based on the ground and flight segment of the M-345 confirms Leonardo's worldwide technological leadership in training pilots for current and future generation aircraft, benefiting from the experience and technology already developed for the 'M-346, including the “Live Virtual Constructive” capability, ie the possibility of integrating the aircraft in flight with simulated “friendly” or “enemy” elements, allowing the future pilot to be “exposed” to the complexity of any possible operational scenario.
The M-345 is a high-performance aircraft capable of making it easier for pilots to pass from basic trainers to the latest generation fighters. The acquisition of the new aircraft by the Italian Air Force represented an important step in the modernization of the Arma Azzurra fleet which will use it instead of the MB-339 A aircraft, for the execution of the second and third phases of the training of a military pilot and as a new platform for the National Aerobatic Team (PAN).
DEEPENING
The new M-345 HET (High Efficiency Trainer) is an aircraft capable of allowing the Air Forces to compress training times and expose students to a platform with better flight characteristics than the current Basic / Advanced training aircraft in service around the world. It also allows you to carry out even the most demanding missions of the training syllabus in order to obtain a qualitatively high training at significantly lower costs.
The architecture of the M-345 cockpit is representative of that of first-line fighters. Thanks to a large flight envelope, with high-speed maneuvering capabilities even at high altitudes, modern avionics, high load capacity and performance, the M-345 can also perform operational roles. The M-345 cost reduction contributes to the aircraft's long fatigue life, the two-level maintenance philosophy that eliminates costly general overhauls and the HUMS (Health Usage and Monitoring System) facility and monitoring system .
Thanks to the possibility of integrating the sophisticated on-board simulation system, the pilot will be able to carry out his training mission more efficiently thanks to a series of preventively planned maneuvers, fly in formation with other airplanes, interacting in real time via data-link with other pilots. on other airplanes in flight both on ground simulators. It is also possible to prepare the mission scenarios and subsequently to download the flight data thanks to the Mission Planning and Debriefing Station (MPDS), re-analyzing the missions carried out during the debriefing phase.
The engine is a Williams FJ44-4M-34 turbofan optimized for military and acrobatic use.
The cockpit is based on HOTAS (Hands On Throttle-And-Stick) controls, glass cockpit with three color MFD touch screens (Multi-function Display) and a Head-Up Display, which is replaced by a fourth MFD repeater at the rear of images of the front HUD.