The document signed on Tuesday 10th November. The agreement is part of a wider deal for the overall supply of 15 M-346 Master aircraft and related support. The contract also includes logistical support, military personnel training, and the creation of a part of the logistical-infrastructural platform intended for training and ground operations; this comprises multimedia classrooms and a new flight line dedicated to the M-346 Master, which will be built at the Lecce Flight School, equipped with hangars and services for aircraft maintenance. The first 2 M-346 Master aircraft, with delivery expected by the end of 2010, will initially be assigned to the Experimental Flight Department at the Pratica di Mare airbase, where operational evaluation trials will begin. The Air Force will receive the other 4 aircraft by 2011 and will thus be the first Air Force in the world to have a training line based on the M-346 Master, the most modern aircraft available on the market today for training military pilots for 4th and 5th generation defence aircraft. This agreement testifies to the fruitful collaboration between the Finmeccanica Group, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Economic Development, in agreement with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Air Force, and represents the first important step towards the international commercialisation of the M-346 Master. Many countries worldwide are indeed evaluating the future operational integration of the aircraft into their flight schools: among these are the United Arab Emirates, which have recently selected 48 M-346 Master aircraft. The related contract is currently being finalised.
