Source: http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/336/
07:28 GMT, June 19, 2009 defpro.com |At the 48th International Air Show at Le Bourget, Paris, Alenia Aermacchi announced that Italy’s Air Force has signed a long-awaited contract to buy the company’s new M-346 Master advanced trainer jet. The Italian Defence Ministry and Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, jointly announced that the agreement to supply six M346 Master aircraft and an integrated training service to the Italian Air Force is in the process of being finalised.
The agreement foresees the acquisition of a further nine aircraft, for a total of 15 M-346s Master. A company spokesman said that the agreement confirms the close partnership between the Italian Air Force and Alenia Aermacchi. With this order the Italian Air Force will be the first user of the M-346 Master, one of the most advanced trainer aircraft on the market today, which is aimed at military pilots flying 4th- and 5th-generation combat aircraft.
The agreement also includes a series of joint initiatives between Alenia Aermacchi and the Italian Air Force to develop international training support capabilities for the Air Forces of other countries through flight simulators, GBTS (Ground Based Training System) and integrated logistics.
The Italian Defence Ministry was an effective supporter of the M-346 during the recent tender process held in the United Arab Emirates, which selected 48 Alenia Aermacchi trainer aircraft after receiving several competitive bids. In February 2009, Finmeccanica announced that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed an agreement to acquire 48 M-346 trainer aircraft in a deal expected to be worth about €1 billion ($1.3 billion). The contract is currently being negotiated.
Furthermore, the M-346 is also in the shirt list (two competitors) in Singapore within the Fighter Wings Course (FWC).
In addition interesting opportunities exist on leading markets such as Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Ecuador, Qatar, Greece and Chile.
The Aermacchi M-346 is the only next-generation trainer aircraft currently in production in Europe. The aircraft can train pilots of future combat planes and can be used in all phases of advanced and pre-operational training, thus reducing flight hours in more costly aircraft.
Currently the trainer programme has achieved a comprehensive level of maturity, demonstrating its amazing capabilities and performance and delivering speeds which reached the sound barrier at the end of 2008. Aggressive development and test activities are underway to deliver the capabilities required by the Italian Air Force on time the spokesman said.
The industrial base line M-346 (LRIP00) was rolled out at the beginning of April 2008 and made its official first flight in December 2008. The first pre-series M-346 simultaneously bears witness to and reinforces the great maturity of the program that – thanks to the intensive development work performed on the two prototypes – has led to the optimisation and industrialisation of the design.
The design effort for the baseline industrial configuration aircraft has concentrated on structural optimisation, with additional benefits in terms of improved maintenance. The goal has been achieved by rationalising the distribution of wing spars and fuselage frames, together with a more widespread use of composite and titanium parts. Together with the integration of the new main landing gear and the standardisation of general mission systems, this has brought about a considerable reduction in the empty weight, in the order of about 700 kilograms.
The M-346 features innovative design solutions. Vortex lift aerodynamics, together with the full authority quadruplex Fly-by-Wire control system, allow the aircraft to remain fully controllable at angles of attack over 35° degrees. With this technological achievement, Alenia Aermacchi confirms it can autonomously design and manufacture advanced aircraft with Fly-by-Wire controls.
This, combined with the twin-engine configuration and thrust/weight ration close to 1, translates into safety levels unattainable by its competitors. The M-346 also integrates digital avionics with the ability to simulate sensors and threats in flight. These characteristics and its performance make the M-346 the world’s leading tactical pre-operational training aircraft.
The M-346 programme also involves other Finmeccanica Group companies including Selex Galileo, Alenia SIA, Sirio Panel and Selex Communications. Alenia Aermacchi has recently selected CAE, the world leader in simulation and integrated training solutions, to develop and validate the simulator for the Initial Training Capability. CAE enters the programme with Selex Galileo.
Related to the internationalisation of the M-346 programme, Alenia Aermacchi recently signed an important agreement with Boeing, through the Support Systems Division of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. The two companies will cooperate on marketing, sales, training and product support activities in international markets for the M-346 next-generation Advanced and Lead-in Fighter Trainer and the M-311 basic-advanced trainer, both designed and manufactured by Alenia Aermacchi.
Combining the support and training systems capabilities of Boeing with those of Alenia Aermacchi will further improve mission effectiveness and reliability, help reduce the total cost of ownership and further strengthen the advantages of the M-346 and M-311.
This strategic alliance will increase the two companies’ commercial presence in the international market for next-generation trainers by offering the best ‘market solution’ to meet customer needs.
The M-346 programme is attracting increasing interest from potential international customers and partners.
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Source: http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/336/
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June 19, 2009 at 9:40 am