The Armament Inspectorate of the Polish Ministry of National Defense has exercised an option for four more M-346 Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT), Leonardo has announced.
Valued at an approximate €130 million, the option includes support services and an upgrade of the entire M-346 fleet to the NATO STANAG 4193 Edition 3 IFF standard developed by Leonardo. It’s now thought the Polish Air Force will complete its lead-in-fighter training fleet modernization by 2022.
Having acquired four more M-346s, Poland’s fleet has risen to 16 aircraft making it the second largest M-346 export customer. To date, 76 M-346s have been ordered by Italy, Poland, Singapore and Israel.
According to Alessandro Profumo, Leonardo’s Chief Executive Officer: “Today, Leonardo and the Armament Inspectorate of Polish Ministry of National Defense have taken an important step together towards modernizing the Polish Air Force. We are very proud to have the Polish Air Force’s complete trust, reinforcing our close partnership with Poland.”
Lucio Valerio Cioffi, Leonardo’s Aircraft Division Managing Director, added: “With a comprehensive training system including a fleet of 16 M-346s, the Polish Air Force will have an outstanding, state-of-the-art training environment for its next generation of pilots.”
This announcement further strengthens Leonardo’s presence in Poland where it has 3,000 highly-skilled employees at its PZL helicopter site in Świdnik. The company will continue to collaborate with Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) as it delivers the Rosomak programme for the Polish Army, early warning radar and coastal surveillance systems that contribute significantly to Poland’s security.
Image © Maciej Kopaniecki / Shutterstock
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Post written by: Robert Atherton
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