Italian Air Force unveils M-346 for Frecce Tricolori

Leonardo aircraft to replace the aging MB-339s that have equipped the Italian aerobatic squadron for over 40 years
Frecce Tricolori M-346
Frecce Tricolori M-346 (Aeronautica Militare)

The Italian Air Force unveiled on September 12 the first M-346 AJT jet that will be used by Frecce Tricolori, its famous aerobatic squadron.

The Leonardo aircraft will replace the MB-339s that have been in service for over 40 years.

The M-346 was presented by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, General Luca Gorett, and the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, at the Istrana Air Base.

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Frecce Tricolori M-346 (Aeronautica Militare)

Frecce Tricolori has just returned from a long tour that lasted almost three months and included 26 presentations in North America.

The responsibility for designing the new paint job for the M-346 aerobatic aircraft fell to the renowned Pininfarina studio, best known for its automobile designs but also working in other areas such as architecture.

Frecce Tricolori adopted the MB-339, an evolution of the MB-326, in 1982 and has since toured many places around the world with its exciting performances.

Frecce Tricolori MB-339 PAN (Tim Felce)

Created in 1961, the air demonstration squadron ended up suffering one of the most serious air show accidents in history.

On August 28, 1988, during a performance at Raimstein Air Base in Germany, three MB-339s collided in mid-air and fell onto the audience.

In addition to the three pilots, 67 spectators died on the ground and 346 people were injured. The accident led to a change in the way air shows were held, with the aircraft performing aerial maneuvers further away from the audience.

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