On 11th of May 2023 the first two training aircraft M-346 advanced jet trainer has landed in Kalamata AB, home of 120 Air Training Wing (ATW) of Hellenic Air Force.
These are the first two of ten aircraft due to be delivered to Hellenic Air Force (HAF) after the announce by the Israeli company Elbit Systems on April 18 2021, Greece and Israel signed a preliminary agreement for a new flight school for the HAF with the acquisition of 10 Leonardo M346 jet trainers.
Under the agreement, the training school will be run by Elbit Systems and modelled on the Israeli Air Force’s Flight Academy. The contract will include the supply of ten Leonardo M346 advanced lead-in fighter trainer (LIFT) aircraft by Elbit, which will maintain the entire training fleet, comprised the M346 and T-6A Texan II training aircraft, for a period of approximately 20 years.
At the moment the 120 ATW was established in March 1970 in order to train Hellenic Air Force Academy’s Cadets, during the years operates various aircraft as the Lockheed T-33A and Cessna T-37.
Currently the flight school is equipped by the T-6A Texan since August 2000 and by the T-2E Buckeye since May 1977. The new M-346B aircraft will replace the aged T-2E, and it will be used in the final training phase of new pilots, Lead In Fighter Training (LIFT), after completing the basic training phases on the T-6A.
The M-346 is the most advanced jet trainer aircraft, designed to have extensive training capabilities, long-term reliability and to carry out operational activities at reduced costs. At the heart of an integrated training system, the M346 is used by Italian Air Force to train its future pilots and thos sent by allied and partner nations (read the full report here).
lso Polish Air Force and Singaporean Air Force has selected the aircraft for its to train its future pilots. M346 represents the most modern solution to train the new generation of pilots.