VENEGONO SUPERIORE, Italy, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The first two T-346A advanced trainer aircraft for the Italian air force have rolled off the production line of Alenia Aermacchi.
The company, a Finmeccanica firm controlled by Alenia Aeronautica, said four additional trainers are scheduled in the first production batch.
The two aircraft, designated as the M-346A by the Italian air force, will be delivered within months to the Experimental Flying Unit at Pratica di Mare Air Force Base near Rome, where they will undergo operational evaluation testing.
Next year the Italian air force will receive the other four aircraft, becoming the world's first air force equipped with a new advanced training line based on the M-346, the most modern trainer available on the market.
In addition to the aircraft for Italy's military, Alenia Aermacchi is producing 12 T-346A trainers for the Republic of Singapore.
The M-346 features avionics modeled upon those of new generation military aircraft such as Eurofighter, Gripen, Rafale, F-16, F-22 and the future F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
