Leonardo clinches Austria deal with M-346 trainer-fighter jets

ROME — Austria is to purchase 12 Italian Leonardo M-346FA jets to serve in both a training and defense role , Austria’s defense minister has said.

A contract for the buy is currently being negotiated on a government-to-government basis between Vienna and Rome, the Austrian defense ministry said in a statement, which added that funding was already budgeted for.

The two seater M-346FA is a light fighter version of Leonardo’s widely sold M-346 advanced jet trainer. It offers seven external hard points and can integrate air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions and targeting pods linked to helmet-mounted displays.

Last year, Leonardo struck a deal to mount Nexter’s 20mm 20M621 gun pod on the jet.

Austria will use the aircraft as a trainer to replace its Saab 105 training jets that were decommissioned in 2020, but also envisages an air defense role for the Italian-built aircraft.

“By purchasing the jets, we are closing a significant capability gap in our air force,” Austrian defense minister Klaudia Tanner said in a statement.

“This not only brings 100 percent of our pilot training back to Austria, but also significantly strengthens air defense. This increases the protection of Austria, the Austrian population and our neutrality against threats from the air,” she said.

The M-346 pure trainer is now in service with the air forces of Italy, the Republic of Singapore, Israel, Poland, Qatar and Greece, while Turkmenistan and Nigeria have purchased the light fighter version.

The Austrian defense ministry said the contract would involved offset work for Austrian industry.

The jets will be based at Vogler Air Base in Linz-Hörsching in Austria.

“The purchase of new jets to replace the Saab 105 fleet will strengthen the air base’s military relevance,” said local governor Thomas Stelzer.

“This will enhance the site in the long term and secure many high-quality jobs for decades to come,” he added.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said, “This cooperation is further proof of the good cooperation and friendship between Italy and Austria. My special thanks go to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who made a significant contribution to the conclusion of this agreement.”

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——奥地利国防部长表示，奥地利将购买 12 架意大利莱昂纳多 M-346FA 喷气式飞机，用于训练和国防用途。

奥地利国防部在一份声明中表示，维也纳和罗马目前正在政府间就此次采购合同进行谈判，并补充说，资金已经列入预算。

双座型M-346FA是莱昂纳多公司广受欢迎的M-346高级喷气教练机的轻型战斗机版本。它提供七个外部挂点，可以集成空对空和空对地弹药以及与头盔显示器连接的瞄准吊舱。

去年，莱昂纳多公司达成协议，将奈克斯特公司的 20 毫米 20M621 机炮吊舱安装在该喷气式飞机上。

奥地利将使用该飞机作为教练机，以取代其于 2020 年退役的 Saab 105 教练机，但同时也设想该意大利制造的飞机在防空方面发挥作用。

奥地利国防部长克劳迪娅·坦纳在一份声明中表示：“通过购买这些战机，我们正在弥补空军的一项重大能力缺口。”

“这不仅将我们100%的飞行员培训带回奥地利，而且还大大加强了防空能力。这提高了奥地利、奥地利人民以及我们抵御空中威胁的中立地位的保护，”她说道。

M-346 纯教练机目前已在意大利、新加坡共和国、以色列、波兰、卡塔尔和希腊的空军服役，而土库曼斯坦和尼日利亚则购买了轻型战斗机版本。

奥地利国防部表示，该合同将涉及为奥地利工业提供补偿性工作。

这些战机将驻扎在奥地利林茨-霍尔兴的沃格勒空军基地。

当地州长托马斯·斯特尔泽表示：“购买新喷气式飞机来取代萨博105机队将增强该空军基地的军事重要性。”

“从长远来看，这将提升该地点的价值，并在未来几十年内保障许多高质量的就业机会，”他补充道。

奥地利总理卡尔·内哈默表示：“此次合作进一步证明了意大利和奥地利之间良好的合作关系和友谊。我特别感谢意大利总理乔治娅·梅洛尼，她为促成这项协议的达成做出了重要贡献。”

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。