Italy orders additional trainer aircraft

ROME, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The Italian National Armaments Directorate has ordered additional M346 trainer aircraft from Alenia Aermacchi.

The order for three of the trainers -- with a ground base training system and logistics support -- for the air force is worth more than $146.9 million.

"The contract is part of a wider agreement already signed by the parties in 2009 for the total supply of 15 M-346s." Alenia Aermacchi said. "At that time, a contract for a first tranche of six aircraft and related flight simulators had been signed."

The M-346 is a transonic aircraft developed by the company in partnership with Russia's Yakovlev. It has a maximum speed 572 knots, a range of 1,070 nautical miles and a service ceiling of 45,000 feet.

Singapore, Poland and Israel are among the countries that have ordered the aircraft, which the company says is "the only new-generation trainer optimized for the role of training pilots who fly on latest-generation high-performance military planes."