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| Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master |
Militarymedia.net - In 1992, Aermacchi teamed up with Yakovlev to develop the Yak-130 basic and advanced trainer aircraft. In 2000 the partnership between these companies ended with each developing the aircraft independently. Aermacchi developed the M-346 Master advanced trainer, which was a highly modified version of the Yak-130. Also using equipment exclusively from Western manufacturers. Though both planes have the same basic layout and similar appearance. This trainer made its maiden flight in 2004. In 2009 the Italian Air Force ordered 6 of these trainers with options for nine more. In 2008 Singapore ordered 12 of these aircraft. In 2012 the aircraft were delivered to Italy and Singapore. Israel ordered 30 of these coaches. Poland recently ordered 8 of these coaches.
Currently the M-346 is the final step of the training aircraft developed by Alenia Aermacchi. The company offers other trainers such as the M-311 for basic aeronautical training, mimicking fast air vehicles and the Aermacchi MB-339 for advanced jet pilots. The new M-346 features a programmable flight control system that can be used to simulate handling of various types of front lines. This gives trainees the opportunity to acquire advanced operational skills from 4th generation jets such as the Eurofighter, Rafale, F / A-18 Super Hornet and even the 5th generation F-22 Raptor fighter.
The M-346 Master is a classic model airplane with two seats, instructor at the back and trainees at the front. The aircraft has extreme agility with optimized aerodynamics achieved by variable camber wing and wing root expansion, as well as damage tolerance capacity. It has also improved inherent strength and structural integrity, obtained using composite materials and light alloys.
The M-346 Master is powered by two Honeywell F-124-GA-200 turbofan engines for enhanced performance and reliability. This aircraft is capable of transonic flight without the use of afterburners. It has a digital flight control system.
The high acceleration skills and the opportunity to sustain energy make this air vehicle one of the best trainers, because all the above-mentioned on the whole provides very similar technical features to the original fighter jet, therefore the same acceleration and maneuverability can be realized including high viewing angle. strike like on a fighter jet. It is worth mentioning that the advanced electronics also provide the opportunity to create and imitate battlefield imagery and situations that can satisfy future fighter pilots and all this at a very low consumption.
The M-346A is a production version for the Italian Air Force. There is also a proposed version of the light attack aircraft. The aircraft has nine hardpoints for a wide variety of weapons, bombs, missiles and rockets.
