Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master Is A military Transonic Aircraft Jet Trainer Flying In Formation And High

Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master Is A military Transonic Aircraft Jet Trainer Flying In Formation And High

(NSI News Source Info) May 16, 2009: The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master is a military transonic trainer aircraft. It is based on work done by Yakovlev and Aermacchi while working on the Yak-130 as a joint venture.

Aermacchi has released a photograph showing for the first time all three extant M-346 Master jet trainers in formation flight. (Aermacchi photograph)

In 1993, Aermacchi signed an agreement to partner with Yakovlev on the new trainer the firm was developing for the Russian Air Force. The resulting aircraft first flew in 1996 and was brought to Italy the following year to substitute the aging MB-339. At the time, the aircraft was marketed as the Yak/AEM-130, however, by 2000, differences in priorities between the two firms brought about an end to the partnership, with each developing the aircraft independently, with Aermacchi retaining worldwide marketing rights except for Russia and the other CIS nations. A Russian version is also being pursued by Yakovlev and Sokol, under a different time schedule. The M-346 is a highly modified version of the aircraft the joint venture was producing, and uses equipment exclusively from Western manufacturers. The first prototype rolled out on 7 June 2003 and flew for the first time on 15 July 2004. In January 2005, the Greek Ministry of Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to become a partner in the programme and, in 2006, Aermacchi signed an industrial cooperation agreement with Hellenic Aerospace Industry. In July 2007, the M-346 flew to the United Arab Emirates for hot weather tests and operational evaluation by the UAE Air Force. In March 2008 the Chilean ENAER signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Alenia Aermacchi at the FIDAE air show. On 10 April 2008 one further prototype in the final configuration (new landing gear and air brake, more composite parts) was rolled out: first flight of this "Industrial Baseline Configuration" is expected in June. In May 2008 Boeing signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on the marketing, sales, training and support of two Aermacchi trainers, the M-346 and the M-311. On 18 December 2008, the M-346 reached a maximum speed of Mach 1.15 (or 1,255 km/h, that is 677.75 knots or 779.82 mph). The Italian air force intend to acquire a first batch of 15 low rate production M-346 advanced fighter trainer aircraft. The M-346 was named the winner of a competition by the United Arab Emirates at the IDEX 2009 defense show in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 25. The official said the order involved delivery of 48 aircraft to be used for pilot training and light attack duties. A final request for proposals last year had set the requirement at 20 trainers, 20 aircraft for combat duties, and the remainder would go toward the creation of a formation flying team.

India Unhappy With Hawk, Plans New Trainer Competition / IAF Plans For Additional Hawks Jet Trainers Shelved

India Unhappy With Hawk, Plans New Trainer Competition / IAF Plans For Additional Hawks Jet Trainers Shelved

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - March 18, 2009: Upset over problems relating to spares supply for British Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers (AJTs), India has shelved plans to place follow-on orders for the aircraft and instead floated new tenders to supplement its trainer fleet.

The Hawk Mk. 132 is the latest export variant of the Hawk and was previously known as the Mk.115Y. The Mk.132 formally entered service with the Indian Air Force (IAF) on 23 February 2008 after one of the most protracted procurement processes in India's history, with two decades having elapsed between the initial interest and the contract signing on 26 March 2004. The IAF will receive 24 aircraft directly from BAE Systems, with deliveries beginning in November 2007, and the remaining 42 to be assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited between 2008 and 2011. HAL handed over the first locally-built Hawk 132 to the IAF on 14 August 2008. These aircraft will be powered by Rolls Royce Mk 871 turbo fan engine. In February 2008, India was planning to order 57 more Hawks, with 40 going to the Indian Air Force and the remaining 17 to the Indian Navy, however it looks like this has been shelved. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is reportedly unhappy with the spares supply situation and has issued new Request for Proposals (RFP) for a trainer craft.

Indian Air Force (IAF) sources said here on Tuesday that the new tenders -- Request for Proposals (RFP) in defence parlance -- were issued about a month ago to six global aircraft manufacturers.

Surprisingly, UK-based Hawks manufacturer BAE Systems finds a place among the six companies which had received the fresh tenders. But it was being approached for an upgraded version of the AJTs, sources said.

Others trainers that the IAF has shown interest in and sent the tender papers to were Italy’s Alenia for the M-346, Korean T-50s, the Chez L-159, Russian YAK-130 and MiG AT Trainer, sources said.

After a procurement process that lasted nearly 20 years, India finally entered a contract for the delivery of 66 Hawks trainers with BAE in 2004. The contract had an in-built provision for a follow-on order for 40 more aircraft.

But the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had been finding it difficult to maintain the production lines for the aircraft at its facility due to considerable delays in spares supplies, sources said.

The move of the IAF to go in for a new brand of trainer aircraft came as a surprise, as it had originally planned to have a single type of trainers in the fleet to train future fighter pilots.

Alenia To Provide Jet Trainers For UAE

Alenia To Provide Jet Trainers For UAE

(NSI News Source Info) February 25, 2009: A competition to secure a multi-billion dollar deal for advanced jet trainers to the United Arab Emirates air force has gone to Alenia Aermacchi. The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master is a military transonic trainer aircraft. It is based on work done by Aermacchi while working on the Yak-130 as a joint venture with Yakovlev. Alenia Aermacchi will provide its M-346 advanced jet trainers to the United Arab Emirates. The M-346 jet was named the winner of a competition by a UAE Ministry of Defence official Maj. Gen. Obaid Al Ketbi, speaking at the IDEX 2009 defense show here in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 25. The official said the order involved delivery of 48 aircraft to be used for pilot training and light attack duties. The European jet trainer was pitched against the Korean Aerospace Industries T-50 in a selection battle that has run on for several years. Contract details were not available. Ketbi said negotiations concluding the deal were ongoing, and he couldn't at this time give a value for the deal. The split in aircraft numbers between trainer and light attack aircraft was not immediately available. One executive familiar with the negotiations earlier told Defense News a final request for proposals last year had set the requirement at 20 trainers, 20 aircraft for combat duties, and the remainder would go toward the creation of a formation flying team. Some of the light attack aircraft would also likely be dual use for parts of the training curriculum, he said. Originally, the request for proposals covered the purchase of 33 trainers with an option for seven more aircraft. Recently the number of aircraft up for grabs has been significantly increased. Alenia is also involved in a parallel competition here that has seen its M-311 competing against the Pilatus PC-21 turboprop in an all-European fight to provide a basic trainer. Ketbi said a decision on that requirement remained under consideration. The decision may take some time, he said. Aermacchi is in talks with the UAE authorities over setting up a joint venture here, with a view to final assembly of the trainer aircraft, chief executive Consentino Carmelo told journalists. All the training would take place "in country" rather elsewhere, as some customers require, he said. "There's plenty of space," he added. Now that the selection has been made, the contract negotiations can begin. The talks will include the provision of a cost effective and integrated syllabus that would take UAE pilots from primary basic flying to advanced training. The initial requirement had been for an advanced trainer, but it had evolved to light attack missions, Carmelo said. The total package would also include ground based training and a logistics support, he said.