Designed by engineer Ermanno Bazzocchi, the MB.326 trainer was one of the most acclaimed Italian industrial successes of the post-war period, having been produced in over 600 units, sold in more than fifty nations, and produced under licence in Australia, Brazil, and South Africa.

The tests of the “Macchino” began on December 10, 1957, and the following year this aircraft set 9 world records for its category.

The Italian Air Force purchased 135 MB.326s and from 1962, for approximately twenty years, these aircraft equipped the Initial Jet Basic Flying School (SVBIA) at Galatina (Lecce).

In 1967, a new version, the MB.326G, was developed, and the Italian Air Force purchased the two prototypes, which they tested at the Experimental Flight Department of Pratica di Mare. The operational life of the “326” ended in the latter half of the 1990s, after being used as a liaison aircraft.

The “K” version is a single-seater with two 30mm cannons in the fuselage.