Symbolic handover with the T-339A, which concludes its operations at the Salento military base after almost 45 years

On Thursday 12 June, at the Galatina military airport (Lecce), home of the 61st Wing and the 10th Aircraft Maintenance Department, the “handover” ceremony took place between the T-339A and the T-345A, the new basic and basic-advanced training aircraft of the Italian Air Force.

The event provided an opportunity to bring together, in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Squadron General Antonio Conserva, and the Commander of Schools/3rd Air Region, Air Squadron General Silvano Frigerio, pilots, technical officers, and both military and civilian maintenance personnel – from both current and former service members – who have flown and operated the 339 “alpha” over this almost half-century of activity at the Lecce airbase.

An event of strong symbolic value – the T-339A entered service in October 1981 precisely at Lecce Galatina within the then Jet Basic Initial Flying School – which represents another important step forward for military flight training, an Italian excellence recognised and appreciated internationally.

“The T-339A has trained so many generations of pilots making training and Air Force history,” General Conserva pointed out in his speech. ”Emotion and sadness because as the 339A ends its instructional task but a farewell sweetened by the fact that it will continue its mission as a trainer as the 339CD, just as it will continue to carry our tricolour around the world in its 339PAN version [...] We are pleased to welcome the arrival of its successor, the best basic and basic-advanced trainer for the next 40 years, a very low cost aircraft distinguished by its ability to train our trainees in a fully digital environment preparing them, from the earliest stages, for future 4th, 5th and 6th generation fighters. A further qualitative leap that makes us the undisputed leader in the pilot training sector in Italy, Europe and the world. By the end of the summer, the first Italian and all other nations that have chosen the Italian Air Force to train their pilots will be able to take advantage of a product of excellence that forms a beautiful pair with the T-346, an advanced trainer that experienced its full development in Galatina.”

Also present was Stefano Bortoli, Managing Director of Leonardo's Aircraft Division, who stated: “The M-345 is born from Leonardo's consolidated experience in the military trainer sector, the result of successful aircraft such as the SIAI-Marchetti SF-260, the Aermacchi MB-326 and the Aermacchi MB-339. The latter, in particular, has been in service for 45 years, training Italian and foreign military pilots and colouring the skies worldwide with the Italian flag of the Frecce Tricolori, which will very soon adopt Leonardo's M-346 as its new aircraft. Thanks to the introduction of the M-345 and its integration into the Armed Force's training syllabus, which already includes the M-346 for subsequent training phases, the Italian Air Force will be able to boast the most modern fixed-wing military training system in Europe.”.

Exciting is the account of General Franco Bonazzi, the pilot who flew the first prototype from the Galatina base on 12 August 1976.

The ceremony on the ground, opened by the welcome speech of the Commander of the 61st Wing, Colonel Gianfranco Liccardo, was preceded by the traditional and evocative “changing of the guard” in flight, during which a T-339A aircraft, leading a mixed formation with three T-345 aircraft, broke away from the group, heading upwards to symbolise the end of its mission and the handover to the new aircraft.

During the ceremony, the Commander of Schools/3rd Air Region, Air Force General Silvano Frigerio, presented the Commander of the 61st Wing with a souvenir of the day, a model T-339A on a Lecce stone base.

A static aircraft exhibition, including some in “special colour” livery, exhibition areas and a photographic gallery recounted these 45 years of activity, with over 400,000 flight hours dedicated to training thousands of Italian and foreign military pilots.
The legendary “Macchino” – as the MB-339A is commonly known among enthusiasts and industry insiders, famous worldwide in its “PAN” version still used by the Frecce Tricolori – thus concludes its long career as a trainer at the Salento school. From July 2025, Leonardo's T-345A will take up this legacy, a further step in the process of modernising the military pilot training and instruction chain. This not only strengthens Italian leadership in terms of technologies and skills in this strategic sector for Defence and the Italian aerospace industry, but also consolidates the role of the 61st Wing of Galatina as a global centre of excellence in military flight training.

The T-345A is a single-engine turbofan aircraft designed for basic and basic-advanced training to obtain a military pilot license, equipped with modern avionics and characterised by operating costs comparable to those of a high-power turboprop trainer. Thanks to its close relationship with its larger sibling, the T-346A, used for advanced training at the IFTS in Decimomannu, and in line with the avionics standards of the most modern fighter jets, the entry into service of the T-345A represents a further stage of growth for the Italian Air Force's flight training system. The T-345A will be employed, at the 61st Wing, initially by the 214th Flight Group, during Phase II “Primary Pilot Training” and in the future, also by the 213rd Flight Group, during Phase III “Military Pilot License”, which continues with the T-339 CD.

The T-339A is a single-engine, two-seat jet aircraft that, thanks to continuous maintenance, system upgrades, and the dedication of thousands of Air Force technicians and specialists, has demonstrated extraordinary operational longevity, immediately distinguishing itself for its reliability, robustness, and versatility, and playing a fundamental role in the training of military pilots.