The event celebrated recent successes in international deployments and provided an opportunity to present the Leonardo M-346, with a Pininfarina livery, as the aircraft that will replace the glorious MB-339 of the National Aerobatic Team.
On the 12th of September, at the Istrana (TV) airbase, home of the 51st Wing, the welcome-back ceremony for the staff of North America Tour of the Italian Air Force, which has brought the Frecce Tricolori to the most iconic places in North America from the beginning of June until the past few days. On this same occasion, The Leonardo M-346 has been presented as a new aircraft that will go on to replace, in the coming years, MB-339PAN, e the livery specially designed by Pininfarina designers.
The ceremony took place in the presence of Vice President of the Senate Senator Gian Marco Centinaio, from Secretary of Defence Guido Crosetto, from Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone and from Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. S.A. Luca Goretti, as well as all the most important civil and religious authorities of the territory.
The Aeronautica Militare's “North America Tour 24,” which began in June and concluded in recent days, saw the The Frecce Tricolori (National Acrobatic Patrol) will be the main feature of 9 air shows and 17 flypasts., in iconic locations across Canada and the United States, sharing the values, technology, professionalism, and teamwork of the Air Force with thousands of spectators.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, speaking at the ceremony, stressed:“This day teaches us that the future is built with daily preparation, with the work of many people, with synergy and the ability to see far ahead.”. Al staff involved in the “North America Tour 24”, the Minister expressed his thanks, highlighting the role it played for the country: “You are a symbol, a manifesto, you represent the Frecce Tricolori, which are a piece of everyone's soul and heart, of our history and our pride.”In his speech, the Minister also highlighted The role of Defence and the importance of always being at the forefront in a world that has changed. “I am here today” he said,“to remind us of the importance we, as the Armed Forces, have had and will have for our country”.
On the sidelines of the event, General Goretti explained: “The Aerobatic Patrol does not belong only to the Air Force, but to all of Italy. The effort was considerable, because Behind these demanding activities is a large number of people working intensely., but the result and the passion are the engine that drives us forward and makes us proud of what we do. This applies to the North America Tour of the Frecce, as well as to all those complex activities that we are involved in every day, even at a great distance from our homeland., as has recently happened with the Air campaign in the Indo-Pacific in which numerous aircraft and units of the Armed Force took part”Commenting then on the future of the Frecce Tricolori, he explained that “We must remain faithful to the tradition of the Aerobatic Patrol, with figures that are part of its history, which will certainly remain.”, but also that the new aircraft’s performance will make “Italian imagination is even more fervent in drawing new and exciting figures in the sky”.
Indeed, the ceremony attendees were able to take part in a historic moment for the Frecce Tricolori and the Italian Air Force itself, witnessing the presentation of the new aircraft that will replace the glorious MB-339PAN in the coming years. Strengthening the role of the Frecce Tricolori as testimonials for 'Made in Italy' and the country's excellence, in line with the principles that have always characterised the PAN, this time too, a the Leonardo M-346, an aircraft entirely designed and produced in Italy, already at the base of the Italian Air Force syllabus (under the designation T-346A) for advanced training for pilots destined for fourth and fifth-generation aerotactical lines.
With the new aircraft, it was also presented the livery, specially designed by Pininfarina for the Air Force, which develops the theme of the “renaissance of the tricolour”, exalting the beauty and fluidity of the flight of the arrows through A drawing that can convey to the public the feeling of speed and dynamism, while still maintaining a strong connection with the tradition that has distinguished the Italian Air Force's aerobatic team for over 60 years.
