Leonardo M-346 Master

Updated: October 2026 – A small gray jet pulls a steep arc over the airfield, two nozzles glow side by side in the tail, and two pilots sit one behind the other under the long canopy. It is too small for a combat jet, too powerful for a classic trainer: that is very likely a Leonardo M-346 Master. On it, future Eurofighter and F-35 pilots from Italy, Germany and other countries learn the last step before the combat aircraft. Here you learn how the M-346 came about, how to recognize it and where you can get it in front of your lens in Europe.

What is the Leonardo M-346 Master?

The M-346 is a two-seat, twin-engine jet trainer for the advanced training of military pilots. It is built at the former Aermacchi plant in Venegono Superiore, north of Milan, which now belongs to the Leonardo group. Depending on the stage of development, you therefore also find it as the Aermacchi M-346 or Alenia Aermacchi M-346.

Its job is the finishing touches before the move to a frontline aircraft. In NATO logic this is Phase IV, often also called Lead-in Fighter Training (LIFT). Leonardo describes the flight characteristics as deliberately close to modern combat jets such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35. Contributing to this are the digital fly-by-wire controls, a high thrust-to-weight ratio and the ability to remain controllable even at high angles of attack.

The cockpit matches that of a modern combat aircraft: head-up display, multifunction screens and HOTAS operation, meaning key switches directly on the stick and throttle. According to Leonardo, a helmet-mounted display, night vision goggle compatibility, voice control and an aerial refueling probe are also among the options. An auxiliary power unit (APU) allows operation independent of ground equipment.

Origins: from joint project to homegrown design

The M-346’s story begins with an unusual partnership. In the early 1990s, Aermacchi and the Russian design bureau Yakovlev teamed up to develop a modern trainer, designated Yak/AEM-130. Differing industrial ideas led to a split at the end of the 1990s. Yakovlev developed the Yak-130 for Russia from it, while Aermacchi reworked the basic layout into the M-346 with Western engines and avionics.

In 2000 the choice fell on the Honeywell/ITEC F124 for power – the same engine family that also powers the Czech Aero L-159 ALCA, though there as a single engine. The first prototype was unveiled in 2003 and took off on its first flight on July 15, 2004. In the test program, a prototype broke the sound barrier in a dive at the end of 2008.

The jet got the name “Master” through an online competition. It alludes to the role as the last teacher before the combat jet. In 2010 the Italian Air Force presented the first aircraft of its order at Venegono; military type certification followed in 2011, and regular training operations ran from 2015. In Italy the type has been officially called the T-346A since 2012.

Testing was not without setbacks: a prototype was lost in 2011 on the return flight from the Dubai Airshow, and a test aircraft crashed in Liguria in 2013. In both cases the pilots were able to eject.

Technology at a glance

At a good 11.5 meters long and just under 9.7 meters in wingspan, the M-346 is a compact jet. The ratio of size to power stands out: two turbofan engines without afterburner deliver about 56 kilonewtons of thrust together. Depending on loading, that gives the M-346 a thrust-to-weight ratio close to one.

The fly-by-wire controls are quadruplex redundant. According to Leonardo, the jet remains “carefree” controllable even at high angles of attack; reference works quote angles of attack of up to 40 degrees. A recovery function called PARS brings the aircraft back to level flight from an unusual attitude at the push of a button – a valuable safety reserve when student pilots lose their orientation.

Perhaps the most important feature cannot be seen from outside: the Embedded Tactical Training System (ETTS). It simulates radar, sensors, weapons and opposing aircraft on board. Students thus practice air combat and ground attack missions without real opponents having to be in the air. Via a live-virtual-constructive link, flying jets, simulators on the ground and computer-generated threats can be joined in one exercise.

The versions

Version	What defines it
M-346 (AJT)	Base version as an advanced and lead-in trainer; with five external stores stations according to Leonardo
T-346A	The Italian Air Force’s designation for its M-346
M-346FT	“Fighter Trainer”: trainer with extended operational capabilities
M-346FA	“Fighter Attack”: armed version with Grifo radar and seven external stores stations
M-346 Block 20	New production standard, named among others for Indonesia and a Canadian test pilot school
Bielik / Lavi	Local names in Poland and Israel

The features that are enough to identify it

Among Europe’s jet trainers, the M-346 stands out for its almost combat-jet-like shape. Three looks are usually enough.

The national insignia narrow it down further: the Italian roundel in green, white and red, the Polish red-and-white checkerboard, Israel’s blue Star of David or the Greek roundel. With IFTS aircraft the operator can deceive, because students from several countries fly there on Italian jets.

M-346, Hawk, MB-339 or T-7?

At airshows and exercises, several trainers often stand side by side. The finder helps you narrow it down.

The Alpha Jet does have two engines as well, but a high-mounted, strongly swept wing and an older, boxier shape. And the turboprop trainer Pilatus PC-21 stands one stage before the M-346 in many training systems – with its propeller it is hard to mistake. A broader overview of military jets is offered by Recognizing combat jets in Europe.

The Italian Air Force and the IFTS

The main operator is the Aeronautica Militare. Its T-346As fly with the 61° Stormo at Lecce-Galatina air base in Apulia, the traditional center of Italian jet training. There students first learn on lighter jets before moving to the T-346A for the lead-in phase. The older MB-339s at the school are gradually being replaced by the single-engine trainer M-345.

A special feature is the International Flight Training School (IFTS). Leonardo and the Italian Air Force announced it at the 2018 Farnborough Airshow; it started at Galatina and later moved to Decimomannu air base on Sardinia. A dedicated campus with simulators, lecture halls and accommodation was built there. According to overviews, the fleet comprises 22 M-346s, most of them owned by the Air Force, with four provided directly by Leonardo.

Among the first foreign customers were Qatar and Germany. The German Air Force sends future fighter pilots to Italy for Phase IV training; later Japan and the British Royal Air Force, among others, joined. For German spotters that is a nice connection: when you see a young Eurofighter pilot in the cockpit today, there is a good chance he got his finishing touches on an M-346. Where to experience the Eurofighter in Germany is covered in the guide Spotting the Eurofighter in Germany.

Frecce Tricolori

In September 2024, the Italian Air Force presented the M-346 as the new aircraft of its aerobatic team. The Frecce Tricolori have flown the MB-339 in its PAN version since the early 1980s, and the switch to the twin-engine M-346 is the biggest upheaval in decades. The transition stretches over several years; which jets fly at a particular show you take from the current program. You will find more on the team and its home base Rivolto in the article Frecce Tricolori.

Who flies the M-346?

The overview summarizes the known operators. Numbers come from publicly available overviews and can change through follow-up orders and losses. According to these figures, a good 100 aircraft had been delivered by autumn 2025.

Operator	As of October 2026, as far as known
Italy	Main operator as the T-346A: training at Lecce-Galatina, IFTS in Decimomannu, switch of the Frecce Tricolori
Israel	30 aircraft as “Lavi,” delivered 2014 to 2016, based at Hatzerim
Poland	16 aircraft as “Bielik,” training in Dęblin; one loss in 2024
Singapore	12 aircraft, based at Cazaux in France
Greece	10 aircraft since 2023 for a joint training center with Elbit Systems
Qatar	6 aircraft
Turkmenistan	6 aircraft
Austria	12 M-346FA ordered (purchase completed November 2025), delivery planned for the end of the 2020s
Further orders	including Nigeria (M-346FA), plus reports of Block 20 orders from Indonesia and from the ITPS test pilot school in Canada

Poland

The Polish Air Force calls its M-346 the Bielik, after the white-tailed eagle. The first contract was signed in 2014, and the last of the 16 aircraft arrived at the end of 2022. In July 2024, a Bielik crashed during a practice flight for a display marking the anniversary of the Polish Air Force in Gdynia; the pilot was killed.

Singapore

Singapore trains its jet pilots abroad for lack of space. The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s M-346s are therefore based at the French air base Cazaux, southwest of Bordeaux – an unusual sight in the middle of France.

Austria

Especially exciting for spotters in the DACH region: the Austrian Armed Forces opted for the armed M-346FA, choosing a successor to the Saab 105s retired in 2020. According to reports, the purchase was completed in November 2025: twelve aircraft, plus options on twelve more. It will be a few more years before they fly in Austria. Until then, the AIRPOWER in Zeltweg is the best place in Austria to see foreign M-346s, provided they are announced.

Spotting tips for the M-346

The M-346 rarely lands at civil commercial airports. With a little planning, though, the chances in Italy are high.

In Italy

The first address is the surroundings of the training bases Lecce-Galatina and Decimomannu. With busy training operations, one pair after another takes off there on weekdays. Stay consistently on public ground and find out about local photography rules – at military airfields they are often stricter than at commercial airports. The basics are in the article Photographing military airfields: the rules.

Near Varese, northeast of Milan Malpensa Airport, is the Leonardo plant at Venegono with its own runway, where new aircraft are flown in. Very close to Malpensa, the museum Volandia shows Italian aviation history. If you want to learn more about the tradition of the Aeronautica Militare, plan a detour to the Museo Storico dell’Aeronautica Militare in Vigna di Valle north of Rome.

Airshows

Italian, Polish and other M-346s show up regularly at European air displays, partly as solo displays, partly in the static display. Good opportunities are offered by the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford or the AIRPOWER. Which events are worthwhile is shown in the overview Airshows in Europe, and how to get sharp pictures there is explained in Photographing airshows.

Tracking online

Training flights often transmit only limited position data or none at all. What ways there are anyway to spot relocations and practice flights is described in the guide Tracking military aircraft online.

Photo tips

With Planetrack you check the sun position planner at the spot as well as weather, wind and runway direction at the airport – that way you know where to stand.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Context: the trainer of the new generation

The M-346 stands for a shift in pilot training. Students used to fly simple trainers such as the Hawk, Alpha Jet or L-39 and learned radar and weapons employment only on the expensive combat jet. Today a large part of that is shifting to the trainer: simulated sensors and opponents in the ETTS make the M-346 a flying classroom for air combat. That saves flight hours on the Eurofighter and F-35. In the USA, the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk takes a similar path; in Italy the M-346 closes the gap between the M-345 and the frontline aircraft.

Conclusion

The Leonardo M-346 Master is the jet trainer on which Europe’s next generation of fighter pilots gets its finishing touches – including Germans at the IFTS in Sardinia. With two engines, large leading-edge extensions and fly-by-wire, it itself looks almost like a small combat jet. It stays exciting for spotters because its area of use is widening: the Frecce Tricolori are switching to it, Austria has ordered the armed FA version, and more countries are joining.