The Armament Inspectorate of the Polish Ministry of National Defense has signed a contract with Leonardo for the delivery of four units of M-346 Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT) for the Polish Air Force.
Valued at more than €115m, the contract also includes a support package for the four M-346 AJTs, and options for additional four aircraft and support package.
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Leonardo chief executive officer Alessandro Profumo said: “This contract reinforces Leonardo’s close partnership with Poland, a country where our technologies and skills are already deeply rooted, and which recognises the unique capabilities of our integrated training system based on the M-346 aircraft.
“Training will be an increasingly important part of Leonardo’s strategy, as outlined in the company’s 2018-222 Industrial Plan, as it allows us to develop a deep understanding of our customers’ needs and to collaborate with them in the long-term.”
Following delivery, the four latest M-346 AJTs will join the Polish Air Force’s existing fleet of eight aircraft by 2020.
The Polish Air Force’s M-346 is an advanced trainer aircraft that features wide flight envelope, high thrust / weight ratio and extreme manoeuvrability.
These features enable the aircraft to offer flight conditions similar to those of new-generation combat aircraft, optimising training effectiveness while reducing the need to fly sorties on the more expensive and complex variants of frontline aircraft.
The Embedded Tactical Training Simulation (ETTS) also enables the aircraft to emulate sensors, countermeasures and armaments, in addition to allowing pilots to interact in real-time with a virtual tactical scenario.
