Aermacchi

The visit, undertaken in the context of the UAE Air Force program to acquire a new pilot training system geared to the needs of its F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighters, revolved around the analysis of the M-346 and M-311 trainer programmes.

To demonstrate the technical aspects of the M-346 and M-311 for both the advanced and basic training roles, flights were organized on both aircraft.
Both types made an extremely positive impression on the UAE Delegation, which found in the two Alenia Aermacchi trainers several points of contact with the future requirements of their Air Force.

The M-346 advanced trainer and M-311 basic trainer were both recently short-listed by the UAE Ministry of Defence and Air Force and are authoritative candidates to replace respectively the Hawk and PC-7 currently used in the training programme.

The inclusion of both platforms is particularly important for Finmeccanica and Alenia Aermacchi because it recognizes that the Italian company is the only manufacturer capable of providing two advanced technology military pilot training aircraft.

The UAE arrived at the “Short List” after examining the products offered by twelve international aeronautical industries. Alenia Aermacchi emerged as the only one capable of offering a complete latest generation training system.

The winners of the UAE competition will be announced after a thorough evaluation of the short-listed offers.­