First two Leonardo T-345A trainer aircraft delivered
On Wednesday 23 December 2020, the first two Leonardo T-345A training aircraft, serials MM55234/61-202 and MM55235/61-203, landed at the military airport of Galatina near Lecce, home of the Aeronautica Militare (AMI, Italian Air Force) 61° Stormo Carlo Negri.
The T-345A will gradually replace the entire Aeromacchi MB339A/CD fleet, including those of Italy’s National Aerobatic Team (Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN), also known as Frecce Tricolori.
This new trainer will progressively replace the MB339A, used for Phase II and instructor training, and the MB339CD version which is used for Phase III training. Not only for the future pilots of the Italian Air Force, but also foreign air forces that intend to train their pilots at the international flight school. Thus, begins a new and complete training programme that will integrate the 61° Stormo (Wing) with the future International Flight Training School (IFTS) (See Scramble News 21 December 2020) , whose works were inaugurated on 16 December at Decimomannu air base at Sardinia.
The T-345A 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 Master, the T-345A will allow a more dynamic and efficient transition to the advanced phase of the "Advanced/Lead-In to Fighter Training" training (phase IV).
The first two aircraft were produced at Leonardo's plants in Venegono Superiore near Varese in northern Italy and were officially delivered on 22 December at the end of the testing and acceptance procedures conducted by the personnel of the Direzione Armamenti Aeronautici e per l'Aeronavigabilità (Aeronautical Armaments and Airworthiness Department).
Photo by Fabrizio Capenti