Exercises Approximately $148 Million Option Under March 2018 Contract

The Armament Inspectorate of Polish Ministry of National Defense has exercised an option for acquiring four more M-346 Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT) as outlined by the contract signed in March 2018.

The option, valued at approximately $148 million, also includes a support package as well as an upgrade of the entire M-346 fleet to the NATO STANAG 4193 Edition 3 IFF standard developed by Leonardo. With this decision, the Polish Air Force will complete its lead-in-fighter training fleet modernization with deliveries within 2022.  

By acquiring four more M-346s, Poland’s fleet expands to 16 aircraft, becoming the second largest M-346 export customer. 76 total M-346s have been ordered by Italy, Poland, Singapore and Israel to date.

"Leonardo and the Armament Inspectorate of Polish Ministry of National Defense have taken an important step together towards modernizing the Polish Air Force," said Leonardo Company CEO Alessandro Profumo. "We are very proud to have the Polish Air Force’s complete trust, reinforcing our close partnership with Poland.”

"With a comprehensive training system including a fleet of 16 M-346s, the Polish Air Force will have an outstanding, state-of-the-art training environment for its next generation of pilots,” said Lucio Valerio Cioffi, Leonardo’s Aircraft Division Managing Director.

With more than 50 years of experience in the training sector, Leonardo offers the most advanced training solutions as well as a significant cost reduction of up to 50% for an Air Force Cadet to qualify as combat ready on a latest-generation fighter.

(Image provided with Leonardo Company news release)

FMI: www.leonardocompany.com