Several years have passed since the first flight of the M-346, which is why now manufacturer Leonardo which is also used by the army coveted aircraft (-> Wanted: New Advanced Jet Trainer wanted) has been given a major upgrade – the trainer and fighter versions.
It was one of already half a dozen announcements in the past twelve months or so about an imminent announcement of a type decision, when Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Bruno Hofbauer stated on Ö1 radio at the end of July that the Austrian Armed Forces were now “on the verge of purchasing” twelve armed training or light fighter jets, service designation AJT-FA (Advanced Jet Trainer-Fighter Attack). In the radio interview, he also confirmed the preference for the twin-engine Italian Leonardo M-346FA model that has long been heard internally, as the procurement of the new AW169 helicopters (-> Status quo with Austria’s AW169), and that the model best meets the army’s requirements. The competition from Aero Vodochody (L-39NG) cannot keep up with the M-346 in terms of performance, the equally interesting T-7 from Saab/Boeing is still a long way from being ready for series production. https://militaeraktuell.at/bundesheer-beschafft-embraer-c-390m/ The only thing missing is “the go-ahead from the ministry”, according to Hofbauer on Ö1, which is quite surprising given that the procurement directorate has long since gone through the entire purchase procedure to the end and a decision is unlikely to fail because of Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. Internally, “irrelevant inquiries” are mentioned when the reasons for the still unannounced type decision are mentioned. These relate to the new Turkish trainer prototype Hürjet or non-European models, for example, but the motivation behind the delaying tactics seems unclear. In any case, there is a general requirement to buy European if such equipment is available and meets the requirements catalog.
In any case, the General Staff and the Air Force emphasize that the necessary elaborations for the type decision are “ready on the table” and that the equipment is needed as quickly as possible. An announcement by Italy (the Ministry of Defense was already informed of this last month) regarding the planned purchase of a further 20 M-346s for its own air force (AMI) could now speed up the purchase decision. According to the proposal from Rome, Austria could participate in the order as part of the planned government-to-government solution. The joint order could result in a lower purchase price and further cost savings.
Block 20 upgrade for the M-346
Regardless of the pending red-white-red type decision, Leonardo recently announced at the Farnborough Air Show (-> Highlights from RIAT and Farnborough Air Show), Leonardo announced a first major upgrade of its M-346, which has now been sold 126 times worldwide (some of which are still in production and delivery). After ten years of operation and 120,000 flight hours worldwide, both the trainer and fighter versions will be revised. The corresponding designations will then be 346T Block-20 and 346F Block-20, according to Leonardo. The aim of the upgrade is to make the platform ready to train pilots even better for the next generation of fighter aircraft. The Block 20 upgrade will change the core avionics of the two-seater aircraft. It includes new so-called wide-area multifunctional screens in both cockpits, flat head-up displays, digital video and data recorders and a new helmet-mounted display. The light combat version will receive these upgrades as well as an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and a data link with weapons, enabling the aircraft to use advanced, longer-range radar-guided air-to-air missiles and precision weapons against ground targets.
The large-area displays mentioned above are increasingly becoming standard on fighter aircraft; they are used in the F-35 from Lockheed Martin and the Saab JAS 39E/F Gripen. Incidentally, the system for the M-346 would come from AEL-Sistemas if Brazil also opts for this aircraft to replace the AMX and F-5E. And a similar cockpit configuration was also presented in Farnborough for the future Eurofighter Typhoon.
“Fighter aircraft are changing and the operational environment is changing, so instructors need to respond to the new operational scenarios,” says Tommaso Pani, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Campaigns at Leonardo. “In addition, an expanded amount of AI-assisted LVC training – such as a customized virtual instructor – should help reduce the drop-out rate of otherwise promising student pilots just because of a weakness in just one area,” Pani continues. “Training is a core competency of Leonardo, and the M-346 integrated training system is the backbone of our value proposition to ensure that fighter pilots today and in the future are well prepared for the modern and complex challenges in the air,” added Lorenzo Mariani, Co-General Manager of Leonardo. “This further development shows that we are fully committed to the development of the next generation of fighter aircraft. fighter aircraft. It also ensures that we provide pilots with the most suitable training solutions. We firmly believe that the ever-evolving capabilities of the type will continue to offer tremendous benefits to users, both for training and for situational awareness in light combat operational missions, making the M-346 an ideal candidate for the future of fighter training in Europe and other regions.”
“Fighter aircraft are changing and the operational environment is changing, so instructors have to react to the new operational scenarios.”
Leonardo-Manager Tommaso Pani
The upgrade also brings further improvements
The ground-based GBTS is also being modernized, a fundamental fundamental component of the training system and one of the most complete ever produced. It consists of computer-based training and a network of simulators that includes simulation-based training, the Partial Task Trainer and the Full Mission Simulator. The other ground equipment is the real-time monitoring station and the mission planning and debriefing modules.
In general, the increasing reliance on Live Virtual Constructive Environment will result in an increasingly integrated training environment with high fidelity, in which the real and virtual worlds merge into a single operational scenario. Pilots in the simulators can interact with pilots on the real aircraft and “fly” joint mission scenarios. If required, various types of computer-generated threats (constructive) can be added to the simulator missions (virtual) as well as the real flights (live).
The schedule for the upgrade is already set
The development and design activities of the M-346 upgrade – towards even better realistic training in order to reduce the number of hours flown live – have already begun. have already begun. This also applies to remote web maintenance on the “Digital Twin” for technicians, for example together with the engineers at the manufacturer. Leonardo plans to start integration in laboratory tests at the beginning of 2025 and to be able to start modifying the two test aircraft available to the company (which already bear the logo) towards the end of next year. One of these aircraft is in the Fighter Attack (M-346FA) configuration, the other in the Advanced Jet Trainer (M-346T) configuration.
The plan is to start rolling out the modifications in series production in 2026. Later in the decade, the Block 20 configuration will become the production standard, according to Dario Marfe, Senior Vice President for Commercial, Customer Services and Training and Proprietary Programs. According to him, the company is already in discussions with potential customers about when the availability of Block 20 could or should best begin for them.
The upgrade fits in well with the army’s plans
Militär Aktuell immediately asked the Leonardo managers whether the timeframes projected for these upgrades would be suitable for the current Austrian procurement – which, as mentioned at the beginning, is actually ready for a decision. Tommaso Pani’s answer: “Of course we see Austria as a neighboring country and potential customer as an example that harmonizes very well with our plans. This applies both to the planned timelines and to the requirements of the Austrian Air Force, which we fulfill 100 percent. This will be all the more true in the future, as the implementation of the Block 20 upgrade with the increased air-to-air missile capability with the AESA radar will result in a further increase in capability. So yes, this fits almost perfectly with the ideas conveyed by Austria.” Leonardo Aircraft management expects to have delivered more than 100 M-346s in the current configuration before production of Block 20 is fully phased in. However, they also plan to offer a retrofit of the new capabilities to existing aircraft. “All the upgrades we are offering are designed so that existing users who have already purchased aircraft are not excluded. We want to make sure that this is possible to bring the latest capabilities to all aircraft so that they are not left out in a few years’ time,” says Marfe. https://militaeraktuell.at/ranger-test-optimus-elektra-und-trekn-eat-wetfood/ According to Marfe, the upgrade for Leonardo is a “low-risk thing” because it does not affect the airframe, safety-critical systems and engines and all improvements are based on a proven and well-founded concept. “This is not tinkering,” says Marfe with a smile. “And it won’t be the last upgrade for the M-346. We’re aiming for continuous improvement of the aircraft, not least because some operators are now successfully ‘downloading’ Operational Conversion Unit training for frontline aircraft types and seeing a 50 percent reduction in operating costs for their jet training.”
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