Yesterday afternoon, during the Abu Dhabi IDEX 2009, the UAE government has announced the order for 48 new M-346 for its pilot school. The first aircraft will be delivered in 2012, and the final assembly line will be in Abu Dhabi (in charge of the Mubadala Development Company).
This is the first official order for the new trainer, which has broken the sound barrier reaching the speed of Mach 1.15 two months ago. The order for 15 aircraft for the Italian Air Force is expected to be signed within days, while the aircraft is in competition with the KAI T-50 for the Singapore AF. Other "positions" are open (Austria, Greece, Poland), but by today it's not clear if there will be an official RFP from these government.