The contract signed by Leonardo with the Italian Directorate of Aeronautical Armaments and Airworthiness confirms Austria will get the brand new M-346F Block 20 variant.
Leonardo has introduced it signed a contract with the Italian Directorate of Aeronautical Armaments and Airworthiness for the Austrian Air Pressure’s M-346 order. The corporate has now confirmed that Austria, which already stated it could procure the sunshine fighter variant, may even get the most recent Block 20 configuration.
Beforehand, each Italian and Austrian paperwork solely talked about the procurement of the M-346FA mild fighter variant, whereas now Leonardo’s assertion confirms that the plane would be the upgraded M-346F Block 20. M-346F is the brand new designation of the M-346FA after the Block 20 improve.
The Austrian Contract
Leonardo says the contract consists of 12 plane equipped within the mild fighter configuration below the brand new M-346 F Block 20 commonplace. The contract additionally features a full suite of simulation programs, an preliminary inventory of spare elements, floor tools and logistics / upkeep assist for six years following the supply of the primary plane.
Stefano Bortoli, Managing Director of Leonardo’s Aeronautics Division, stated: “We’re extraordinarily pleased with the launch of Austria’s M-346 programme, and we’re conscious of the worth that the synergy between nationwide establishments and business can generate in response to the rising necessities of buddy international locations, as we’ve got already seen previously.”
In actual fact, this contract is the results of a Authorities-to-Authorities settlement with Italy signed in Could 2025 and a Letter of Intent in December 2024. As additionally famous by Leonardo, this isn’t the primary occasion of the 2 international locations cooperating in protection acquisitions, as Austria acquired 36 AW169M LUH helicopters in the identical method.
“We’re happy to proceed doing our half, supplying aeronautical options enabled by important technological enhancements,” added Bortoli. “On the identical time, this programme confirms the worldwide competitiveness of the M-346 system. It responds to the necessity for operational versatility dictated by in the present day’s eventualities requiring responsiveness and adaptableness, rising digitisation, environment friendly administration of latest defence belongings, complementarity and interoperability, and appropriate coaching for personnel.”
The Austrian Ministry of Protection lately stated the unit value of the plane is €80 million, whereas the complete package deal, together with armament, simulator, coaching, and upkeep, prices round €1.5 billion. Protection Minister Klaudia Tanner defined the M-346 shall be used each as an operational plane and as a coaching plane.
Tanner and the Minister for Economic system Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer stated the acquisition represents a step ahead in each safety coverage and economics enhancing operational readiness whereas concurrently producing industrial worth within the nation. In actual fact, parallel to the M-346 acquisition, an industrial settlement signed with Italy is anticipated to generate round €400 million in orders for Austria.
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 experiences talked about that Austria was on the lookout for an plane which might be employed not just for coaching, but additionally for air surveillance and protection, complementing the Eurofighters.
With the settlement signed in Could 2025, Austria stated it could 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 function functionality of the AJT model.
In line with the doc launched by the Italian Ministry of Protection, the package deal requested by Austria consists of:
12 M-346FAs, plus 12 extra on possibility in two batches of six plane;
Full Mission Simulator (FMS), Unit Degree Coaching Machine (ULTD), Pc Primarily based Coaching (CBT) and Simulation Primarily based Coaching (SBT) for pilots;
Dwell Digital Constructive (LVC) functionality;
Eight Position Gear kits for the FA configuration;
12 Helmet Mounted Units (HMD);
12 Identification Buddy 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.
M-346 Block 20
Leonardo introduced on the 2024 Farnborough Worldwide Air Present the launch of a complete functionality enhancement package deal 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 (Mild Fighter Household of Plane) fighter variants will profit from these enhancements for a large spectrum of purposes, whereas implying important margin for additional developments sooner or later. Leonardo stated 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 shall be fully renewed, that includes two Massive Space Shows (LAD), one per every seat, changing the present six Multi-Practical Shows (MFD), plus a low-profile Head-Up Show (HUD). These shall 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 Buddy or Foe) transponder. Particularly for the M-346 F variant, additional crucial functionality enhancements embody an AESA (Lively Electronically Scanned Array) radar that includes hearth management radar functionality, integration of latest weapons for each air-to-air and air-to-ground roles along with a built-in missile datalink.
Probably the most seen variations of M-346F from the usual configuration are the 2 wingtip missile rails, that deliver the entire hardpoints to seven, new antennas and the Defensive Assist Sub System (DASS). The plane, which is being proposed for Homeland Defence/Air Policing, Sluggish 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.
