Holy hell, that was nuts! Maybe this light trainer jet may not be as classy and eye-catching as some of its bigger fighter jet counterparts but this display by the Italian M346 was still absolutely nuts and worthy of the best flying witnessed at Sanicole's Airshow 2022!! :D
Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) did totally deliver again with this flight display, combining very fast speed, fast paced and aggressive aerobatics with beautiful smoke trails along with condensation wingtip and LERX vortices, plus the conditions were ideal for filming and we had a perfect cloudy sky as background. This is one of my favourite captured videos that I've made as of late, hope you enjoy it just as much! ^^
The Leonardo M-346 Master is a family of military twin-engine transonic advanced jet trainers and light combat aircraft. Originally co-developed with Yakovlev as the Yak/AEM-130, the partnership was dissolved in 2000 and the then Alenia Aermacchi proceeded to separately develop the M-346 Master, while Yakovlev continued work on the Yakovlev Yak-130. The first flight of the M-346 was performed in 2004. The type is currently operated by the air forces of Italy, Israel, Singapore, and Poland. Since 2016 the manufacturer became Leonardo-Finmeccanica as Alenia Aermacchi merged into the new Finmeccanica, finally rebranded as Leonardo in 2017.
The M-346 is designed for the main role of lead-in fighter trainer, in which aircraft's performance and capabilities are used to deliver pilot training for the latest generation of combat fighter aircraft. Powered by a pair of Honeywell F124 turbofan dry engines, designed to reduce acquisition and operating costs, it is capable of transonic flight without using an afterburner; Alenia Aermacchi has claimed that the M-346's flight performance to be "second only to afterburner-equipped aircraft". During the design process, the twin concepts of "design-to-cost" and "design-to-maintain" were adhered to, reducing acquisition and operational costs; the per flying hour costs of the M346 are reportedly one-tenth of those of the Eurofighter Typhoon. Outside of the training role, the M-346 was designed from the onset to accommodate additional operational capabilities, including combat missions such as close air support and air policing duties.
The M-346 incorporates a full-authority quadruplex digital fly-by-wire flight control system which, in combination with the optimized aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft, provides for full manoeuvrability and controllability at very high angle of attack (in excess of 30° degrees). The flight control system, incorporating a HOTAS design philosophy, is equipped with adjustable angle of attack and g-force limitations; when combined with its wide performance envelope, this allows the M-346 to effectively mimic the flight performance of various fighter aircraft operated by trainee pilots or to progressively increase difficulty levels, thus raising the training's effectiveness. A pilot activated recovery system (PARS) is present which, when pressed, conducts an automatic recovery by returning the aircraft to a steady and level flight path.
A digital avionics system, modelled on its counterparts on board the latest generation of military aircraft such as the Saab JAS-39 Gripen, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the Eurofighter Typhoon, is incorporated, making it suitable for all stages of advanced flight training and thus reducing the use of combat aircraft for training purposes, ”downloading” flight hours from Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) to Pilot Training Unit. A modular avionics architecture is employed, allowing for new equipment and systems to be incorporated and increasing the type's growth potential.
SPECS
Crew: 2
Length: 11.49 m
Wingspan: 9.72 m
Height: 4.76 m
Wing area: 23.52 m2
Empty weight: 4900 kg
Gross weight: 6700 kg
MTOW: 9600 kg
Fuel capacity: 2000 kg internal
Powerplant: 2 × Honeywell/ITEC F124-GA-200 turbofan engines, 28 kN thrust each
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 1090 km/h
Maximum speed: Mach 0.95
Stall speed: 176 km/h
Never exceed speed: 1470 km/h / M1.2
Range: 1925 km
Ferry range: 2,550 km with 3 external drop tanks
Endurance: 2 hours 45 minutes (4 hours with external drop tanks)
Service ceiling: 13716 m
G limits: +8, -3
Rate of climb: 112 m/s
Wing loading: 285 kg/m2
Thrust/weight: 0.84
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