• The contract with the Polish Air Force is to supply eight aircraft as well as Ground Based Training Systems
• Presented to General Commander of the Polish Armed Forces, the two aircraft will be delivered by November 2016
• A total 59 M-346 aircraft have been ordered so far by Italy, Israel, Singapore and Poland

Finmeccanica announces the kick-off of the final assembly phase for the first two Aermacchi M-346s for the Polish Air Force, at a ceremony attended by General Commander of the Polish Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Miroslaw Rozanski, Brigadier General Tomasz Drewniak, Inspector for the Air Force, and Col. Paweł Smereka, Commander of the 41st Training Airbase, hosted by Filippo Bagnato, Managing Director of Finmeccanica’s Aircraft Division.

The delivery of the first two M-346 aircraft, built at Finmeccanica’s Aircraft Division facility in Venegono Superiore (Varese, Italy), is scheduled for the end of November 2016, in line with the programme’s time frame.

Signed in February 2014 with the Polish Ministry of Defence, the contact is to supply eight M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft to replace the currently operational TS-11 Iskra. The contract also includes logistic support; a training programme for pilots and engineers; a state-of-the-art ground-based training system with dedicated classrooms and educational materials, including a Full Mission Simulator, a highly complex device able to replicate any possible operational scenario and also to be networked with real aircraft flying training missions.

The M-346 has also been ordered by Italy, Israel and Singapore, with 59 M-346 aircraft ordered so far. The aircraft is already in service with the Air Forces of Italy, Israel and the Republic of Singapore.

Finmeccanica press release