Austria has announced the decision to purchase 12 M-346FA advanced training aircraft from Leonardo, the Defense Ministry announced on Saturday.
The aircraft will cost around 500 million euros and will replace the Saab 105 jets that were retired in 2020 after 50 years in service.
“These jets, capable of both air-to-ground and air-to-air operations, will replace the Saab 105, which were phased out in 2020. With the M-346FA Jets from Leonardo, we are addressing a critical gap in our air defense capabilities and bringing jet pilot training back to Austria,” said Chancellor Karl Nehammer in a post on the social network X.
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The M-346FA variant is based on the M-346 Master and has a multi-role capability that includes ground attack and air combat.
It has seven hardpoints for attaching wire and sensors up to a total of 3 tons. In addition, the jet is equipped with a Grifo-M346 radar and other enhancements.
The M-346 was originally developed as the Yak/AEM-130 in a partnership between Aermacchi and Russia’s Yakovlev, but the partners in the program later decided to go their separate ways.
The trainer has been in service with Italy since 2015.
