M-346 advanced jet trainers for Qatar
Qatar ← 
ItalyDeal progress
Current status: Delivered — latest milestone in 2022. Not every deal goes through every stage; a government sale approval, for example, applies only in some supplier countries.
Deal details
The deal covers M-346 advanced jet trainers for Qatar, supplied by Italy; Leonardo is listed as the manufacturer. It is classed under trainer aircraft. The quantity is not specified in the available sources, and no value has been disclosed.
The deal has reached the delivery or in-service stage, with its most recent major milestone in 2022.
Details: Qatar took delivery in January 2022.
What is the M-346 Master trainer?
The M-346 Master is an advanced twin-engine jet trainer built by Italy’s Leonardo to prepare pilots for modern fourth- and fifth-generation fighters such as the Eurofighter and F-35. It traces back to a 1990s joint project between Italy’s Aermacchi and Russia’s Yakovlev; the partners later went their separate ways and each developed its own aircraft, the Russian side producing the Yak-130. The M-346 is assembled at Leonardo’s Venegono plant near Varese in northern Italy.
The M-346 first flew on 15 July 2004. The Italian Air Force adopted it as the T-346A, and it is used at the International Flight Training School that Leonardo set up with the Italian Air Force to train pilots from several countries. It is also flown by Israel, Singapore, Poland and Greece; in Poland it is called Bielik, while the Israeli Air Force calls it Lavi. Leonardo has developed a light combat version, the M-346FA, capable of close air support and air defence missions.
How it works and what sets it apart
The aircraft is designed to mimic the behaviour of modern fighters as closely as possible. Its quadruplex digital fly-by-wire system has no mechanical backup and allows manoeuvring at angles of attack above 30 degrees while the jet stays under control. Two Honeywell F124-GA-200 engines, each producing about 28 kN, take it close to the speed of sound. The standout feature, though, is the embedded training system, which generates virtual radar targets, threats and simulated weapons inside the cockpit, so students can rehearse air-to-air and air-to-ground scenarios without adversary aircraft or live ammunition; the jet can also be linked to ground simulators in the same exercise. That shifts part of the expensive training once done on fighters onto an aircraft that is cheaper to operate.
Key specifications
| Role | Advanced lead-in fighter trainer, with the M-346FA light combat version |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Leonardo (Italy) |
| First flight | 15 July 2004 |
| Crew | 2 (instructor and student) |
| Engines | 2 × Honeywell F124-GA-200, about 28 kN each |
| Maximum speed | About 1,090 km/h (Mach 0.95) |
| Service ceiling | 13,716 m (45,000 ft) |
| Hardpoints | 7 |
