Leonardo’s M-345 has entered operational use with the Italian air force, with the single-engined type replacing its 61st Wing’s Aermacchi-produced MB-339A at Lecce-Galatina air base.

To be employed in the Phase II basic and Phase III advanced training roles, the Williams International FJ44-4M-34-powered asset will be flown under the service designation T-345A.

Operations with the outgoing model commenced at the base in southern Italy in October 1981.

“The T-339A has trained many generations of pilots, making history in training and in the air force,” chief of staff General Antonio Conserva said during a handover ceremony on 12 June.

“Thanks to the introduction of the M-345 and its integration into the training syllabus of the armed forces, which already includes the M-346 for subsequent training phases, the Italian air force will be able to boast the most modern fixed-wing military training system in Europe,” states Stefano Bortoli, managing director of Leonardo’s Aeronautics division.

“The combination of these two training systems covers the entire military pilot training process, from the basic initial phase to the most advanced phase,” the airframer says.

Leonardo is delivering the M-345 as part of an integrated training system which also includes ground-based training equipment.

Conserva notes that the T-345A – which has a cockpit featuring three multi-function displays, a head-up display, and an embedded simulation capability, will enable the service “to train our students in a completely digital environment, preparing them from the early stages for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-generation fighters”.

Leonardo notes that the new jet’s use of an integrated monitoring system also will “reduce maintenance times and costs while increasing fleet readiness and efficiency”.

The Italian air force continues to employ the aged model in its updated T-339CD-model guise, with other examples also flown by its Frecce Tricolori aerobatic display team.