Air-Force First two aircraft that will replace the MB-339 for the training of military pilots have been delivered to Italian Air Force

[Test7]

The first two examples of the basic training aircraft T-345A ( M-345 High Efficiency Trainer - HET developed and produced) have recently landed today Wednesday 23 December at the military airport of Lecce-Galatina, home of the 61 ° Stormo. da Leonardo Spa ), a totally " made in Italy " aircraft destined to gradually replace the entire MB339 fleet of the Armed Force, including those of the National Aerobatic Team.

The Air Force Chief of Staff, Air Squad General Alberto Rosso and the Commander of Schools and of the 3rd Air Region, Air Squad General Aurelio Colagrande, welcomed the aircraft at the Fortunato Cesari military airport in Galatina. Local civilian and military authorities also took part in the ceremony.
The new trainer will be used by the 61 ° Stormo for phases II and III of the training process of the Air Force and foreign air forces that intend to train their pilots at the international flight school. Thus begins a new and complete training program that will integrate the 61 ° Stormo with the future International Flight Training School (IFTS), whose works were inaugurated last December 16 at the Decimomannu air base (Ca).

The new two-seater jet will be the training pillar for the new generations of pilots and will allow for an improvement in training quality at lower costs (hence the name High Efficiency Trainer ); furthermore, thanks to the development of technologies already in use on the T-346A, the 345 will allow a more dynamic and efficient transition to the advanced phase of the " Advanced / Lead-In to Fighter Training " training (phase IV).

" Today the arrival of this new aircraft represents an important moment not only for the Air Force and for the whole country but also and above all for this territory which for decades has been the symbol of a winning synergy ", declared the Squad General Aerea Alberto Rosso, Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force . "In the Apulian skies the Air Force has trained and will continue to train Italian and foreign military pilots with the same spirit and the same passion but with an integrated training system that is now enriched with a new and important aircraft, further demonstration of the ability to team up with the Italian Air Force and Leonardo. Thanks to cutting-edge skills and technologies it will be possible to train - in an even more cost-effective way - professionals able to manage increasingly advanced and complex aircraft. The 61 ° Stormo, international leader in military flight training, is a concrete example of Italian excellence worldwide and a pride for the entire country system. An ideal continuity in the sign of the Tricolore between two Italian aircraft - the".

The transition from 339 to 345 will take place gradually. Before operational use in the training process, the new aircraft will undergo an Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) process which will be conducted by the Flight Experimental Department of the Logistics Command.

The first two specimens, produced at Leonardo's plants in Venegono Superiore (VA), were officially delivered to the Air Force on Tuesday 22 December at the end of the testing and acceptance procedures conducted by the personnel of the Aeronautical Armaments and Airworthiness Department ( DAAA) who worked jointly with the staff of the Milan Territorial Technical Office (UTT) employee and with the support of the Experimental Flight Department and the 6th Detached Technical Service, entities dependent on the Air Force Logistics Command.

T-345A: consegnati al 61° Stormo i primi due velivoli che andranno a sostituire gli MB-339 per la formazione dei piloti militari

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