Alenia Aermacchi M-346

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Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master
Alenia Aermacchi T-346A Master MM55155 61-04 formazione legend (22064642876) .jpg
T-346A Master of the Italian Air Force
Type:
Design country:

ItalyItaly Italy

Manufacturer:

Alenia Aermacchi

First flight:

July 15, 2004

Commissioning:

November 14, 2011

Production time:

In series production since 2010

Number of pieces:

68 (as of end of 2018)

The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master is an Italian jet trainer based on the Jakowlew Jak-130 .

history

From 1993 to 2000, Aermacchi carried out the Jak / AEM-130 program together with the Russian company Jakowlew as a partner. In 2000 this partnership ended because the two companies had different ideas about the future of the program. Based on the Jak / AEM-130, Aermacchi created the simplified M-346, which is specially designed for the western market. Russian components are no longer used.

The first prototype had its rollout on June 7, 2003 and flew for the first time on July 15, 2004. A second prototype was exhibited at the 2005 Paris Air Show.

The M-346 uses state-of-the-art technology, including a fly-by-wire control system that enables angles of attack of up to 40 °. The two turbofans type Honeywell / Avio F124 give the M-346, a thrust-to-weight ratio of up to 1: 1.

The first pre-series model LRIP00 was rolled out in early 2008 and flew for the first time on July 7, 2008. This pre-production model contains numerous improvements over the prototypes. The proportion of composite materials and titanium was increased and the wing spars and fuselage frames were optimized, which reduced the empty weight by 700 kg. Furthermore, a newly developed chassis and a 90 cm forward brake flap are used on the fuselage. On December 18, 2008, the prototype CM X615 reached supersonic speed for the first time at Mach 1.15.

production

The first to be received was an order for the purchase of six aircraft for the Italian Air Force worth EUR 220 million and a letter of intent for a total of 15 aircraft. The first two machines were delivered on December 21, 2010, the first flight on March 21, 2011 in Venegono with test pilot Quirino Bucci at the wheel. In mid-2011 the type certification by the Italian Ministry of Defense took place. The first machine, designated T-346A in the Italian Air Force, was delivered on November 14, 2011. The first six units will go to a training squadron (61 ° Stormo) near Lecce , where they will gradually replace the older Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainers as advanced trainers together with the smaller Alenia Aermacchi M-345 . The last of 18 machines was delivered in February 2018. The aircraft are also used for pilot training for pilots from Argentina, Austria, France, Greece, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Spain and the USA.

Other customers for the M-346 are Israel, Poland and Singapore.

export

In 2011 the construction of 12 machines for Singapore began . Israel announced the purchase of 30 M-346 Masters on February 16, 2012; they have been replacing the outdated Douglas A-4 training aircraft of the Israeli Air Force since mid-2014 and are stationed at the Chazerim military airfield . The type was also introduced by the Polish Air Force . The M-346 is currently being tested by a number of other air forces, including the Austrian Air Force . Together with Raytheon , the M-346 applied to the TX program of the United States Air Force , however, was subject to the Boeing T-7 trainer aircraft.

variants

M-346AJT
Basic version for advanced training ( Advanced Jet Trainer )
M-346FT
improved school version for operational training ( fighter trainer )
M-346FA
light ground attack variant for close air support ( Fighter Attack )

Technical specifications

M-346 prototype 2007 at Pratica di Mare AFB
Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master
Parameter Data
crew 2
span 9.72 m
length 11.49 m
height 4.76 m
Wing area 23.52 m²
Empty mass 4625 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 9500 kg
Top speed 1083 km / h at an altitude of 1520 m
Marching speed k. A.
Rate of climb 107 m / s
Service ceiling 13,700 m
Range 1890 km without external tanks
Engines 2 × Honeywell F124-GA-200 each with 27.80 kN thrust

Armament

Armament up to 3,000 kg at the fuselage station, six underwing load stations and the two wing tips

Air-to-air guided missiles

Air-to-surface guided missile

Unguided bombs

External container

Users

AzerbaijanAzerbaijan Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani Armed Forces : M-346 (order planned)
IsraelIsrael Israel
Israeli Air Force : 30 M-346AJT “Lavi” (delivered between 2014 and 2016)
ItalyItaly Italy
Aeronautica Militare : 18 T-346A AJT (delivered 2011 to 2018)
PolandPoland Poland
Polish Air Force : 16 M-346AJT “Bielik” (in delivery since 2016)
SingaporeSingapore Singapore
Republic of Singapore Air Force : 12 M-346AJT

Incidents

On November 18, 2011, the first prototype crashed in the United Arab Emirates on its return flight from the Dubai Air Show to its home base. The pilots were able to save themselves with the ejection seat .

See also

Web links

Commons : Aermacchi M-346  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. FliegerRevue February 2011, p. 8, rollout of the first T-346A
  2. ^ AIR International, January 2012, p. 9, Italian Air Force receives its initial master
  3. a b Italy receives final M-346 jet trainer ( Memento from February 28, 2018 in the Internet Archive )
  4. http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=258135
  5. Boeing wins $ 9.2b TX trainer contract with USAF. FlightGlobal, September 27, 2018, accessed February 11, 2019 .
  6. Paris Air Show 2017: Leonardo showcases M-345 HET trainer, M-346FA light attack aircraft, Janes, June 19, 2017
  7. Azerbaijan to buy M-346 Master jet, Janes, February 23, 2020
  8. Israel receives last of its M-346 jet trainers, Janes, July 20, 2016 ( Memento of July 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  9. Italy receives final M-346 jet trainer, Janes, February 27, 2018
  10. Poland exercises option for four more M-346 jet trainers, to upgrade existing fleet, Janes, December 14, 2018
  11. FlightGlobal.com: Alenia Aermacchi M-346 crashes in UAE. Retrieved November 29, 2011 .