The Leonardo M-346 Master is a family of military twin-engined, 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 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 M-346 is currently in operation with the air forces of Italy, Israel, Singapore, Greece, Qatar, Turkmenistan, and Poland. In 2017, the manufacturer rebranded as Leonardo.
Development Background In 1992, Aermacchi signed a cooperation agreement with Yakovlev to provide financial and technical support for the new trainer that the firm had been developing since 1991 for the Russian Air Force in competition with the Mikoyan MiG-AT. Aermacchi also gained the right to modify and market the aircraft for the Western market. The resulting aircraft first flew in 1996 and was brought to Italy the following year to replace the aging MB-339. By this point, the aircraft was being marketed as the Yak/AEM-130. In February 1996, Russia provided initial funding for the Yak/AEM-130 and pledged to purchase up to 200 aircraft for the Russian Air Force."Yak/Aermacchi trainer funds released; Russia will buy up to 200." Aviation Week, 27 February 1996.
In October 1998, the venture reportedly was increasingly becoming an Italian-led effort due to a lack of financial support on the part of Russia."Italy studies the Yak/AEM-130 as Russia falters." Flight International, 21 October 1998. By July 2000, Aermacchi held a 50% stake in the development programme, and Yakovlev and Sokol had a 25% share each."F124 engine turns Yak-130 into the Aermacchi 346." Flight International, 25 July 2000. In mid-2000, it was announced that differences in priorities between the two firms and a lack of financial backing from the programme's Russian participants had brought about an end to the partnership, and each firm would pursue development of the aircraft independently; Yakovlev received US$77 million in the form of a partial write-off of the USSR/Russian debt towards Italy and for the legal right to use some of the technical documents of the aircraft."Aermacchi assembles M-346 trainer team to replace Russians." Flight International, 1 August 2000. Yakovlev would be able to sell the Yak-130 to countries such as those in the Commonwealth of Independent States, India, Slovakia, and Algeria, while Aermacchi would be able to sell the M-346 to NATO countries, among others.
The M-346 is a highly modified version of the aircraft that was being developed under the joint venture. It uses equipment exclusively from Western manufacturers, such as the digital flight-control system being developed by a collaboration between Teleavio, Marconi Italiana, and BAE Systems. In July 2000, Aermacchi selected the Honeywell F124 turbofan engine to power the type in place of the originally intended Lotarev DV-2S powerplant.Doyle, Andrew. "Aermacchi may seek new engine for Yak-130." Flight International, 1 February 2000. In 2004, a contract for the development of a full-mission simulator for the M-346 was awarded to CAE.. Further production contracts for CAE's full-mission simulator have since been issued."CAE wins defence contracts valued at approximately C$220 million." CAE, 8 April 2016.
Into flight On 7 June 2003, the first M-346 prototype rolled out; ground testing commenced shortly thereafter. On 15 July 2004, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight.
In January 2005, the Greek Ministry of Defence signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to become a partner in the programme, followed by an industrial cooperation agreement between Aermacchi and Hellenic Aerospace Industry in 2006.Peruzzi, Luca. "Greece's HAI snatches stake in M346 trainer programme." Flight International, 24 January 2006. In March 2008, the Chilean ENAER signed an MOU with Alenia Aermacchi at the FIDAE air show..
On 10 April 2008, the first low rate initial production (LRIP-00) aircraft, produced in the final configuration (new landing gear and air brake and more composite parts), was rolled out.. On 18 December 2008, Aermacchi announced that the M-346 had attained a maximum speed of Mach 1.15 (1,255 km/h, 678 knots, 780 mph), claiming the occasion to be the first in which an all-Italian built aircraft had broken the sound barrier in 50 years.
In May 2008, Boeing signed an MOU to cooperate on the marketing, sales, training, and support of two Aermacchi trainer aircraft, the M-346 and the M-311..
On 20 June 2011, a military type certificate was granted to Alenia Aermacchi for the M-346 Master by the General Directorate for Aeronautical Armaments of the Italian Ministry of Defence in Rome. Throughout the certification process, the M-346 development aircraft made 180 test flights, totalling 200 flights across the course of the previous five months, during which over 3,300 test points were completed."M-346 Master Gains Military Certification" Air Forces Monthly (Key Publishing), Issue 282, September 2011, pp. 10. ISSN 0955-7091. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
Further development In the advanced jet-trainer role, the original M-346 model is unarmed; however, in November 2015, Alenia Aermacchi reported it was close to finalising a combat-capable, dual-role variant of the aircraft. During late 2017, a series of armed tests involving the AIM-9L missiles took place. In 2015, an armed variant, designated as the M-346 Light Combat Aircraft, was offered to Poland; this reportedly included a capability of operating the Brimstone air-to-ground missile.
The armed variant is under development, designated M-346FA. The first preseries aircraft has flown from Venegono Airfield in July 2020.
In February 2016, the newly created, consolidated Leonardo-Finmeccanica company promoted the Aermacchi M346 in two new roles - companion training and dissimilar air combat training. To better replicate the flight performance and behavior of various enemy aircraft, both the g-force and angle of attack can be independently selected in the flight-control system; reportedly, existing customers have stated the type to be well suited to the aggressor role.Pocock, Chris. "Italian Jet Trainer Finds New Cost-Saving Roles." AIN Online, 13 February 2016. Leonardo has offered the M-346 for companion training and adversary/Red Air roles.
In January 2021, Israeli and Greece ministers of defence announced plans to establish a wide-ranging $1.68 billion security agreement that include the procurement of 10 M-346 aircraft and the establishment and operation of a flight school for the Hellenic Air Force by Elbit Systems, including provisions for simulators, training, and logistical support.
In 2025, Leonardo outlined its ambition for the M-346 to evolve into a common training platform for Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) partners Italy, Japan, and the UK. “We should not develop GCAP without thinking about the training platform, and why not start with the M-346,” said Tommaso Pani, according to aviation industry research group FlightGlobal.
In June 2026, Leonardo and Turkish UAV manufacturer Baykar unveiled their K-SWARM programme, aimed at enhancing coordination between crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The testing featured a Leonardo-owned M-346 Fighter Attack aircraft, accompanied by an Italian Air Force T-346A acting as a chase aircraft, and Baykar’s Bayraktar Kızılelma uncrewed fighter.
Design
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 followed, reducing acquisition and operational costs;"Alenia Aermacchi M-346." Alenia Aermacchi, 2014. 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°). 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 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, 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. The M-346's glass cockpit is representative of the latest-generation cockpit and is compatible with night vision goggles; it has three-color, liquid-crystal multifunctional displays, a head-up display (also in the rear cockpit), and an optional helmet-mounted display (HMD). A voice-command system is also present, which is integrated with functions such as the navigation system. The communication systems include VHF/UHF transceivers, identification friend or foe transponder, and midair collision avoidance system, and ground-proximity warning system.
A key feature of the M-346 is the embedded tactical training system (ETTS), which is capable of emulating various equipment, such as radar, targeting pods, weapons, and electronic warfare systems; additionally, the it can interface with various munitions and other equipment actually being carried on board. The system can act in a standalone mode, in which simulated data and scenario information, with threats and targets, is loaded prior to takeoff, or in a network, during which data are received and acted upon in real time from ground-monitoring stations via the aircraft's datalink. The ETTS can generate realistic computer-generated forces (both friend and foe). For postmission evaluation and analysis purposes, accumulated data, such as video from the optional HMD, can be extracted and reviewed. Leonardo also offer an integrated training system (ITS), combining the M-346 with a ground-based training system composed of academic training devices, simulators, mission-planning and training-management systems, and full logistic service as part of a wider syllabus towards qualifying pilots.