Alenia Aermacchi, a Company of the Finmeccanica Aeronautics Sector led by Alenia Aeronautica, participated at the 19th MSPO - International Defence Industry Exhibition - in Kielce from the 5th to the 8th September.

This is the second Alenia Aermacchi presence in Poland in just two weeks, following the successful participation of its M-346 advanced trainer / light combat aircraft (LCA) in the Radom Air Show on 27-28 August. The Company has been present at Radom with the M-346, the MB-339 of the Italian Air Force National Aerobatic Team “Frecce Tricolori”, the “C-27J Spartan” Tactical Airlift and the AMX Fighter.

"The presence of the M-346 at MSPO is particularly significant in relation to the Polish Air Force requirement to replace its advanced trainer fleet. The M-346 represents the right answer to train Polish pilots to fly current and next-generation fighters. The flexibility of the platform is optimized as advanced LIFT trainer in the basic version, and easy to reconfigure for full effectiveness in operational roles through adoption of radar and LCA suites", declared Mr. Giuseppe Giordo, CEO of Alenia Aeronautica and Alenia Aermacchi and Responsible for Finmeccanica Aeronautics Sector.

The twin-engine, NATO-compliant, military-certified M-346 is currently a leading candidate in the final phase of the Polish Air Force competition for its new Training - Combat Aircraft.

The M-346 is already in production for delivery to the Italian Air Force, its launch customer, and to the Republic of Singapore Air Force, the first international customer. The aircraft received its Military Type Certificate in June 2011 from the General Directorate for Aeronautical Armaments of the Italian Ministry of Defence, attesting to its full conformity with the most demanding and modern international standards.

The M-346 is the only platform fully in line for the Advanced European Jet Pilot Training (AEJPT) program. Led by the European Defence Agency, AEJPT aims at creating a complete system for the European environment, not limited to the aircraft platform but also including complete ground training segment with Full Mission Simulator and academic training and mission planning and debriefing station.  The innovative Integrated Training System concept is validated by the ITAF selection, with the first two aircraft ready for delivery and the Ground Segment under construction.

Since it is a European and NATO-based product, the M-346 would bring the Polish Air Force unmatchable effective Logistic Support Services (supply chain, maintenance, integration, etc.). The RSAF, which will use the M-346 to train its F-16 block 52+ pilots, announced in June its signing of a 20-year Integrated Logistic Support service contract.

Through-life fleet support and Air Force Operational Capabilities could be further enhanced by the broad-ranging offset program and synergies between the Finmeccanica Group and Polish defence industries, in part already in being and in part under discussion.

The M-346 is conceived as the most advanced trainer / light combat aircraft (LCA) currently on the market. It features innovative design solutions in line with NATO, European and USA standards and is an unmatched platform for its class of operational missions, fully in line with the latest NATO/European standards.

The versatile M-346 platform is configured for both operational and training roles. With 9 hard points, 3 of which are “wet”, and the capability to carry over 3,000 Kilos of payload, it is a formidable LCA, with the additional survivability ensured by the twin-engine configuration.

The Alenia Aermacchi Integrated Training System provides, together with the aircraft, a Ground Based Training System (GBTS) harmonised within the training philosophy and enabling the Student pilot to learn and rehearse the entire aircraft syllabus and training objectives on the ground.

The M-346 baseline Ground Based Training System of Alenia Aermacchi includes: Academic Training System, Simulation Based Training, Flight Training Device, Full Mission Simulator. Enlarging the scope to the overall ITS, Mission Support System and Training Management Information System are also available.

Designed to serve as the backbone advanced trainer for leading Air Forces, the M-346 offers maximum flexibility to train pilots designated to fly current (including F-16, Eurofighter, F-22 and Rafale) and next generation fighters (F-35).

In its operational combat variant, the M-346 merges the experience of Alenia Aermacchi and the wide spectrum of technologies developed by Alenia Aeronautica, a global player in aerospace, with a key role in the most important Fighter Programs (Eurofighter Typhoon, JSF, Tornado, Neuron), and integrates Radar, Electronic Suite and Real Time Tactical Data-link, Air Refuelling probe, Helmet Mounted Display, capability to carry a wide range of weapon systems.

Vortex lift aerodynamics, together with the full authority quadruplex Fly-by-Wire control system, allow the aircraft to remain fully controllable at angles of attack over 35° degrees. With this technological achievement, Alenia Aermacchi confirms it can autonomously design and manufacture advanced aircraft with Fly-by-Wire flight controls system. This, combined with the twin-engine configuration and thrust/weight ration close to 1, translates into safety levels unattainable by its competitors.

The M-346 also integrates digital avionics with the ability to simulate sensors and threats in flight (Embedded Tactical Simulation). These characteristics and its performance make the M-346 the world’s leading tactical pre-operational training aircraft.  The aircraft may also be equipped with an in-flight refuelling probe to increase its operational capability.

The M-346 program also involves other Finmeccanica Group companies including SELEX Galileo, Alenia SIA, Sirio Panel and SELEX Elsag.