Aermacchi expects to roll out the first serial production M-346 advanced jet trainer by the end of March, with the aircraft likely to have its flight in early June.
"The aircraft structure is done, we are now completing the wiring," says Aermacchi chief executive Carmelo Cosentino. "We plan to bring the aircraft to the Farnborough Air Show."
The second prototype accomplished its first in-flight refuelling operations on 24-25 January, receiving fuel from an Italian air force Panavia Tornado equipped with a "buddy" hose-and-drogue refuelling pod.
Reiterating that the type is the best option for advanced trainer competitions in Singapore, where it up against the BAE Hawk and Korea Aerospace Industries T-50, Cosentino says that the design is a good fit for all existing aircraft and upcoming fifth generation fighters.
The T-50 is already in service with the South Korean Air Force, and it is up against the M-346 in the United Arab Emirates and widely expected to be its main rival in Singapore. But when asked about it, Cosentino said: "I do not believe that the solidity of the aircraft is gauged by how early you deliver. We deliver reality, not ideas."
Source: Flight International
