Alenia Aermacchi M-346

The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master makes its 1,000th flight.

The new M-346 Master advanced trainer designed by Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, has reached the symbolic 1,000-flight milestone.

The flight was made by the third prototype, representative of the pre-series M-346 standard.

The thousand flights performed by the three M-346 prototypes now available at Alenia Aermacchi, cover a broad range of missions, from aircraft testing and development to the displaying to the many interested Air Forces and ferry flights for international demo tours for important aviation events.

In December 2008 the first M-346 achieved the speed of Mach 1.17, becoming the fastest Italian-designed aeroplane of all time. The long ferry flights, the completion of air-to-air refuelling tests and angles of attack of over 30 degrees, indicate the significance of the results achieved so far and the overall development of the programme, which is now close to its complete maturity.

In addition to Alenia Aermacchi test pilots, the three M-346 have already been flown by over 40 Italian military pilots and by over 70 from other countries worldwide, including those of the United Arab Emirates, whose Air Forces selected 48 M-346s in February 2009, and those of Singapore, where the M-346 is participating in the competition for the aircraft and a complete integrated training system.

Italy Signs for Six M-346 Jet Trainers

ROME - The Italian Ministry of Defense signed a long-awaited contract Nov. 10 for a first-tranche order of six M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft from Alenia Aermacchi.

Under the 220 million euro ($329 million) contract, which makes Italy the launch customer for the M-346, the Italian Air Force will receive the aircraft as well as flight simulators, Italy's Finmeccanica announced. Alenia Aermacchi is a subsidiary of Alenia Aeronautica, which is a unit of Finmeccanica.Italy has planned to order a total of 15 M-346 Master aircraft.

The contract also includes logistics support, training and "the construction of part of the logistic-infrastructural platform to be used for training and ground operations," Finmeccanica said. "This will consist of multimedia training rooms and a new flight line for the M-346 Master to be built at the Lecce Flying School, along with a hangar and maintenance services for the aircraft."
The first two aircraft are scheduled for delivery by the end of 2010 and will initially be based at the Air Force's flight-testing center at its Pratica di Mare Air Base. The remaining four aircraft will be delivered by the end of 2011.
The contract has been in the works since May 2007, when the Italian government first announced it would acquire the aircraft.
Funding for the acquisition was provided by Italy's Industry Ministry, which took longer than anticipated to free up the funds.
The deal comes just days before the Dubai Air Show, increasing the possibility that the United Arab Emirates - which has selected the M-346 for a 48-aircraft requirement - will sign a contract at the show. The United Arab Emirates had indicated that it did not want to be the launch customer for a jet trainer.

UAE Reopens Talks To Buy T-50 Trainer

ROME - The United Arab Emirates has reopened talks to acquire the South Korean built T-50 jet trainer after discussions to buy its rival, Italy's M-346 trainer, stalled, an Arabian Gulf defense source said Jan. 27.
The T-50 is considered to be among the best advanced training aircraft on the market. (Sergey Riabsev / Wikipedia)

The United Arab Emirates selected the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 in February 2009 to fill a 48-aircraft order, including 20 in the light fighter version. Alenia Aermacchi is a unit of Finmeccanica. The M-346 beat out the T-50, which is built by Korean Aerospace Industry (KAI), teamed with Lockheed Martin.
But negotiations to sign a contract for the Italian aircraft, reportedly worth 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion), have stalled, said the source. "There was a misunderstanding between senior officials in the UAE and Finmeccanica leadership over specifications," he said.
"Some components they thought they were getting were not included. The UAE went back to the Koreans and is in advanced talks. They are back to the T-50 and a new deal could come very soon," added the source, who is familiar with the acquisition program.
The source did not specify what components had created the problem, or whether talks with Aermacchi might resume. It was not clear if the resumption of talks with KAI was a negotiating tactic or signaled a definitive break with Aermacchi.
A spokesman for Finmeccanica declined to comment on whether the United Arab Emirates was now talking to KAI. "It is a complex deal and our negotiations are going ahead," he said.
Lockheed officials couldn't be reached for comment.
The M-346 and T-50 are considered to be among the best advanced training aircraft on the market. Although they have been purchased by their respective home customers, the Air Forces of Italy and South Korea, the UAE contest was their first duel in international markets, with the M-346 appearing to claim victory.
They are also shortlisted in Singapore's jet trainer contest and both will be making display flights at the Singapore Air Show next week.
Italy was the launch customer for the M-346, agreeing to purchase a small number of the aircraft last year just before the Dubai Air Show.

The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master advanced trainer adopts the Helmet Mounted Display



Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, recently carried out the first flight tests of the new sophisticated Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) system that will be fitted to the M-346 Master advanced training aircraft.

The HMD system, a true interface between the pilot and aircraft systems, complements the Head-Up Display by offering the pilot to receive attitude, navigation, tactical and mission information directly on the helmet visor, independently of the direction in which he is looking. The HMD is fully integrated with aircraft avionics and with the Embedded Tactical Training Simulation system.

The adoption of this new HMD system on the M-346 is a crucial element of training effectiveness and an important step towards making the Master ever more representative of operational aircraft. The M-346 Master will now allow student pilots to learn to use the HMD, avoiding the risks involved should it be encountered directly on the much more expensive operational aircraft (Eurofighter, F-35, Rafale, F-16). The HMD will also be integrated in the Full Mission Simulator.

Test pilots Quirino Bucci and Matteo Maurizio tested the new HMD system to their fullest satisfaction, appreciating its ergonomics and performance from both the forward and rear seats.

“We obtained significant results, with stable symbology under high g and ease of head movement thanks to the lightweight helmet”, said after the flights Alenia Aermacchi Chief Test Pilot Quirino Bucci.

The limited helmet weight – under 1.6 kilos, achieved by the miniaturisation and careful placement of components – translates into lower pilot fatigue under high g manoeuvres, while the low voltage translates into a high levels of safety. A micro camera captures the pilot’s field of view, including visor symbology, making it available for post-flight debriefings.

The system selected for installation in the M-346 employs the latest optical and digital technologies. It allows the aircraft to operate by day and night, using Night Vision Goggles (NVG). The ability to present synthetic symbology and high-resolution images, plus the accuracy of the pilot’s line of sight measurement, are peculiar characteristics of the M-346 Master HMD system.

Almost three months on from the crash of a pre-series aircraft in Italy on May 11, Alenia Aermacchi’s M346 jet remains grounded as investigations into the causes of the accident continue. The Italian manufacturer has insisted there are no similarities between this incident and the November 2011 accident in which a prototype M346 crashed off the coast of Dubai after appearing in the airshow there. A spokesman told AIN that the trainer/light attack aircraft will be flying again “very soon.”
In the most recent accident, according to sources speaking to AIN on condition of anonymity, test pilot Matteo Maurizio suddenly lost all control of the jet. He survived the crash, but sustained serious injuries after ejecting. The aircraft in Dubai is believed to have lost all electrical power just after takeoff. Its two pilots also ejected; one was injured.
The Alenia spokesman said that the two M346s were configured differently. Three separate investigations are probing the most recent accident: one is being conducted by the manufacturer, another by the Italian air force and a third by judicial authorities.
The M346 has been ordered for the air forces of Israel, Italy and Singapore. Two production aircraft were delivered to the Italian air force in late 2011 and early last year for operational test and evaluation. Deliveries of 12 aircraft to the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) No 150 Squadron, based at Cazaux airbase in France, began earlier this year, although they were unannounced at Singapore’s request.
The Italian air force has ordered six M346s, against a total requirement of 15. The first two have completed initial operational test and evaluation, but the latest accident has delayed a final operational test and evaluation in Italy. The Israeli air force is due to acquire 30 M346s starting next year, via a joint venture between IAI and Elbit that will provide pilot training under contract. The Singapore aircraft are also being provided under contract by a joint venture among prime contractor ST Aerospace, Alenia and Boeing.
The M346 competes against the BAE Systems Hawk and the KAI T-50 in the advanced jet trainer market. In February 2009, the UAE Air Force announced that it had selected the M346, but no order was ever confirmed. The same three aircraft are being proposed for the 350-aircraft U.S. Air Force T-X requirement, although that has been delayed by U.S. defense budget problems. They will also compete in Poland, which is shopping for eight new trainers to serve from 2015.