Austria acquired 12 Leonardo M-346FA plane in a deal price €1.5 billion, with deliveries beginning in 2028.
The Austrian Ministry of Protection has finalized the acquisition of the Leonardo M-346FA plane. The event follows the Authorities-to-Authorities settlement with Italy signed in Might 2025 and a Letter of Intent in December 2024.
The Deal
The acquisition of the M-346FA will permit the Austrian Air Power to fill the hole left by the retirement of the Saab 105 retired in 2020 after 50 years of service. The plane will likely be stationed at Linz-Hörsching Air Base, the identical base the place the Saab 105s have been beforehand assigned and served as elementary jet trainers with the Fliegerregiment 3, with the deliveries beginning in 2028.
The MoD says the unit value of the plane is €80 million, whereas your complete bundle, together with armament, simulator, coaching, and upkeep, prices round €1.5 billion. Protection Minister Klaudia Tanner defined the M-346 will likely be used each as an operational plane and as a coaching plane.
Tanner and the Minister for Economic system Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer mentioned the acquisition represents a step ahead in each safety coverage and economics bettering operational readiness whereas concurrently producing industrial worth within the nation. In reality, parallel to the M-346 acquisition, an industrial settlement signed with Italy is predicted to generate round €400 million in orders for Austria.
Two-Fleet Technique
In response to the MoD’s press launch, the acquisition of the M-346 will permit to implement the long-standing objective of the two-fleet technique. As a part of this technique, Austria will function two complementary methods, the Eurofighter for airspace surveillance and the lighter M-346FA for coaching, lower-intensity missions, and relieving the high-performance fleet.
The MoD additionally famous that this may even permit to restart pilot coaching in Austria. In reality, as we beforehand reported right here at The Aviationist, with the section out of the Saab 105, the Austrian Air Power misplaced the jet coaching functionality, which led to the service sending scholar pilots to Italy and Germany to coach.
With the arrival of the brand new M-346s in 2028, the coaching of Austrian pilots can as soon as once more be carried out completely domestically. “This will increase availability, reduces prices in the long run, and strengthens operational sovereignty,” says the MoD.
Austrian Procurement
In September 2024, Austrian Protection Minister Klaudia Tanner talked about that Austria was contemplating a joint buy of M-346 jet trainers with Italy. The preliminary studies talked about that Austria was searching for an plane which could possibly be employed not just for coaching, but additionally for air surveillance and protection, complementing the Eurofighters.
With the settlement signed in Might 2025, Austria mentioned it might purchase the Leonardo M-346FA, the sunshine fighter variant of the M-346 Superior Jet Coach (AJT). The selection of the FA variant permits to have a combat-capable plane which nonetheless retains the full twin position functionality of the AJT model.
In response to the doc launched by the Italian Ministry of Protection, the bundle requested by Austria contains:
12 M-346FAs, plus 12 extra on choice in two batches of six plane;
Full Mission Simulator (FMS), Unit Stage Coaching Machine (ULTD), Pc Primarily based Coaching (CBT) and Simulation Primarily based Coaching (SBT) for pilots;
Dwell Digital Constructive (LVC) functionality;
Eight Position Tools kits for the FA configuration;
12 Helmet Mounted Gadgets (HMD);
12 Identification Good friend or Foe (IFF) Interrogators;
Hyperlink 16 and IRIS-T Integration;
Eight Nexter NC621 20mm gun pods and 16 LAU-32 7-round rocket launchers;
Eight Elbit SPEAR AECM pods.
Whereas the intention to combine the IRIS-T (InfraRed Imaging System Tail-Thrust Vector Managed) short-range air-to-air missile on the M-346 was already identified, the potential integration of an Digital Counter Measures pod was talked about previously with out referencing a particular system. Elbit says the SPEAR AECM pod is a modular answer that may present Self-Safety, Digital Assault and Reconnaissance capabilities with using Digital Radio Frequency Reminiscence (DRFM) and Stable State Phased Array (SSPA) transmitters.
The M-346FA
The M-346 Grasp celebrated in 2024 the twentieth anniversary since its first flight. The plane, thought-about by many as essentially the most superior jet coach presently accessible, introduced many new applied sciences to enhance the coaching of future 4th and fifth gen fighter pilots, together with the state-of-the-art Floor-Primarily based Coaching System and the Dwell Digital and Constructive (LVC) applied sciences.
Along with its coaching variant, Leonardo has developed a combat-capable model of the plane known as the M-346 FA (Fighter Assault), also called Gentle Fighter Household of Plane (LFFA). Essentially the most seen variations from the usual AJT configuration are the 2 wingtip missile rails, that carry the overall hardpoints to seven, new antennas and the Defensive Support Sub System (DASS).
The M-346FA variant is designed to retain the full twin position functionality of the AJT model, already in service with the Italian, Israeli, Polish and Singapore Air Forces, whereas incorporating additionally some new options like a tactical knowledge hyperlink, Grifo-346 mechanical scan, multi-mode radar, new safe radios and IFF system (Identification Good friend or Foe), and a stronger airframe.
The plane, which is being proposed for Homeland Defence/Air Policing, Gradual Mover Intercept, Shut Air Help (CAS), Counter INsurgency (COIN), Ahead Air Controller – Airborne (FAC-A), Fight Search And Rescue (CSAR), Interdiction, Battlefield Air Interdiction (BAI), Tactical Air Help for Maritime Operations (TASMO) and Tactical Reconnaissance roles, can carry greater than 2,000 kg of weapons.
M-346 Block 20
Leonardo additionally introduced on the 2024 Farnborough Worldwide Air Present the launch of a complete functionality enhancement bundle for the M-346. This main improve comes because the M-346 fleet surpassed 100,000 flight hours in addition to ten years of service.
Each M-346 AJT (Superior Jet Coach) coaching and M-346 LFFA (Gentle Fighter Household of Plane) fighter variants will profit from these enhancements for a large spectrum of functions, whereas implying important margin for additional developments sooner or later. Leonardo mentioned that ‘M-346 T Block 20’ and ‘M-346 F Block 20’ are the designations for the brand new commonplace of each plane.
The Block 20 commonplace cockpit will likely be fully renewed, that includes two Giant Space Shows (LAD), one per every seat, changing the prevailing six Multi-Practical Shows (MFD), plus a low-profile Head-Up Show (HUD). These will likely be mixed with a brand new digital video and knowledge recorder and a brand new augmented actuality Helmet Mounted Show (HMD).
The M-346 Block 20 may even profit from new navigation, weapon administration, flight administration system, IFF (Identification of Good friend or Foe) transponder. Particularly for the M-346 F variant, additional essential functionality enhancements embody an AESA (Lively Electronically Scanned Array) radar that includes fireplace management radar functionality, integration of latest weapons for each air-to-air and air-to-ground roles along with a built-in missile datalink.
It’s being reported that Austria may be the primary Block 20 buyer. The Austrian acquisition is a joint procurement with Italy, which is buying 20 further M-346s for the Worldwide Flight Coaching College and the Frecce Tricolori aerobatic staff within the unique configuration.
What future for the Eurofighters?
The acquisition of the M-346FA initially opened as much as new questions relating to the controversial presence of the Eurofighter Storm within the Austrian Air Power. Austria chosen the Storm over the Saab Gripen in 2022 to interchange the Saab Draken which has been in service from 1988 to 2005.
The nation initially determined to acquire 18 Typhoons, however later lowered the order to fifteen plane. The plane, nevertheless, are very primary, as through the renegotiation of the contract the nation determined to purchase Tranche 1 jets (six of which have been second-hand from the German Air Power) as a substitute of the then extra superior Tranche 2 ones.
Among the many causes was the argument that the Typhoons would solely be wanted for peacetime air policing over impartial airspace. The plane don’t have any air-to-ground capabilities and their solely air-to-air weapons are the Mauser BK27 cannon and the IRIS-T infrared air-to-air missile, with out past visible vary weapons such because the AIM-120 AMRAAM.
Austria later evaluated to eliminate the European fighter and exchange it with a less expensive plane, even an armed coach. For an occasion, in 2020 studies talked about negotiation to switch your complete Austrian Storm fleet to Indonesia, though they by no means grew to become actuality.
Whereas the Storm has been thought-about cheaper to amass, with a complete value of about €2 billion, the MoD has argued that the excessive working prices and lack of superior capabilities, which have been later launched by different Storm operators, symbolize a essential drawback.
Disposing of the plane was thought-about essentially the most handy choice, and in 2017 the MoD even mentioned it might have been €2 billion cheaper than upgrading the jet. Austria, nevertheless, nonetheless wants an plane for the air protection, as not being a part of NATO preludes the nation from requesting air policing help.
With the procurement of the M-346FA now finalized and the MoD mentioning that it reached its objective to implement a two-fleet technique, it’s clear that the Austrian Air Power has no intention to eliminate the Eurofighter.
