DOPPELADLER.COM

At the beginning of June 2020, Leonardo officially began the Functional Check Flights of the first series aircraft that will be delivered shortly to the Italian Air Force. These jets wear the livery of the Italian Air Force as shown by the image taken by Gianluca Galli on 11 June 2020 outside the Leonardo plant in Venegono Superiore, northern Italy.

The operational livery marks the maturity of the aircraft that is ready to enter the fleet of the Italian Air Force flight school at the 61st Wing in Galatina AFB, southern Italy.

Currently the flight line of the 61st Wing is composed of three different aircraft (MB-339A, FT-339C and T-346A), but soon it will be standardized first to two aircraft (T-345 and T-346), then to a single aircraft (T-345) as the T-346 fleet will move to Decimomannu AFB, Sardinia, under the International Flight Training School (IFTS).

• https://twitter.com/LDO_Aircraft/status ... 2415283201

• Italien übernimmt erste Aermacchi T-346A
  
  http://www.doppeladler.com/forum/viewto ... 48&p=52547

• Italien übernimmt erste Aermacchi T-346A
  
  http://www.doppeladler.com/forum/viewto ... 48&p=50942

Yesterday Leonardo delivered the first two M-345 jet trainer aircraft to the Italian Air Force, which to-date has ordered 18 units from a total requirement for up to 45 aircraft. The new type, designated T-345A by the Italian Air Force, will gradually replace the 137 MB-339s which have been in service since 1982.

The new M-345, designed to meet basic and basic-advanced training requirements, will complement the in-service M-346, which is used for advanced pilot training.