Wed, Apr 06, 2011
Trainer Built For The Italian Air Force
The first M-346 aircraft produced for the Italian Air Force
(ITAF) had a successful first flight last Thursday. The ITAF has
designated the plane as the T-346A.
"The first flight of the T-346A, soon to enter service with our
country's Air Force, is an important milestone for the M-346
program, a milestone reached through the dedication of the entire
work force of the Venegono plant," said Giuseppe Giordo, CEO of
Alenia Aeronautica overseeing the Aeronautics Sector of
Finmeccanica Group.
Flown by Chief Test Pilot Quirino Bucci, the aircraft took off
at 1600 from Venegono, the home airfield of Alenia Aermacchi,
a Finmeccanica company controlled by Alenia Aeronautica. The flight
lasted 40 minutes and the T-346A reached a maximum altitude of
15,000 ft., covering the planned flight envelope in terms of speed,
angle of attack and load factor. The flight also included
manoeuvres to assess aeromechanical handling of the aircraft and
systems functionality.
After landing, Captain Bucci expressed appreciation for the
aircraft. "Once again, the aircraft demonstrated its excellent
characteristics in terms of handling, energy and man-machine
interface, all crucial points in training future pilots to fly new
generation combat aircraft."
The ITAF T-346A is the first M-346 series production aircraft
completed. The Alenia Aermacchi site in Venegono now operates a
leading-edge, highly-automated production line capable of
delivering up to 48 aircraft per year with competitive cost and
high quality in order to meet the highest program requirements. The
remaining aircraft for the Italian Air Force are already being
built on this new assembly line, and production of the 12 aircraft
ordered by the Singapore Air Force are also underway.
Alenia says the Air Forces of several nations have expressed
interest in this aircraft, which meets the latest training
requirement of the new generation aircraft such as the F-22, F-35
and the Eurofighter.
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