Currently, the M346 Master is used in Italy (18), Singapore
(12, stationed at the Cazaux Air Base in France), Israel
(30), and Poland. The contract for eight M346s together
with the related ground-based infrastructure was signed
on 27 February 2014. The first two M346 jets arrived to
Dęblin in November 2016, with the final commissioning
taking place on 22 December 2017. Increasing the number
of Masters at our disposal may facilitate the training
process as well as improve our chances of becoming an
international training center for pilots of multi-role combat
aircraft, taking advantage of the infrastructure of the 4th
Air Training Wing (with bases in Radom and Dęblin).
Leonardo is trying to promote its product in over a dozen
export markets. Apart from the US, where the M346 is
offered under the name of T-100 as part of program T-X as
a successor to the T-38 Talon, other countries – from Asia,
the Middle East, Africa, and South America – seem to be
interested in acquiring the aircraft.
So far, Leonardo has supplied Poland with all eight M346s ordered in 2014. The new units are to arrive to
Dęblin in 2020, but the manufacturer says it's possible to speed the supplies up.
The lack of new orders for the M346 makes
the assembly line virtually idle, which might
have helped MOD sign the agreement with
Leonardo so fast.
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