Leonardo announced it had secured a deal to supply its M-346 fighter and trainer aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
Meanwhile, Leonardo Italy has offered both fighter and attack versions. M-346FA (Fighter Attack) and fighter and training aircraft M-346FT (Fighter Trainer). The Italian Air Force (AMI: Aeronautica Militaire Italiana) enters service with the M-346 designation T-346A. It has also been exported to Azerbaijan, Greece, Israel, Poland, Qatar Singapore, and Turkmenistan.
Nigeria will acquire 24 M-346 aircraft for dual purposes in training and combat. Leonardo provides the M-346FA and M-346FT combat versions of the aircraft. However, all official releases on the Nigerian deal have only mentioned the baseline M-346 advanced jet trainer, including a secondary combat capability. The first batch of six aircraft is scheduled to arrive in Nigeria by the end of 2024, with the rest to follow in separate deliveries.
The NAF currently operates 11 French Alpha Jet E trainers, which are used to carry out light attack missions. The M-346 will complement existing aircraft, including three Chinese-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder fighters and 12 Brazilian A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft.
Leonardo Confirms the M-346 Contract for Nigeria
