Aermacchi AJT
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The Aermacchi is a very nice piece of aerodynamics and engineering. It's probably the only suitable AJT to prepare for an advanced fighter like a Rafale or a Typhoon (in case S'pore goes for a Eurocanard)
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For the benefit of people like me, who've never heard of the M-346 till recently.
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-- double post
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erm. it looks very....CUTE!!!
haha! can it actually fight???
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If an aircraft has to perform the role of Lead-in Fighter Trainer, then the ability to carry ordanance is a requirement. No point having a plane to train fighter pilots in if it can't carry anything, right?Originally posted by Groovee:erm. it looks very....CUTE!!!
haha! can it actually fight???
anyway, got this off the airforce-technology.com site about the M346:
"Armaments are carried on nine external store stations, six of which are underwing, equipped with 1,000lb class ejector release units, and two wingtip stations for air-to-air missiles. The under-fuselage station carries avionics pods or a 300-litre conformal fuel tank. The system data presentation and control functions of the stores management system use any one of the multifunction displays in both cockpits. Hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls are used to select the weapons. Weapon aiming is controlled by the central main processor, aiming data being presented to the pilots through the Head Up Display (HUD) or the Helmet Mounted Display (HMD).
The weapons carried include: MK82 500 lb and MK83 1000 lb free fall or retarded bombs; Rocket launchers; AIM-9 Sidewinder short range air-to-air missiles; Raytheon AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles; MBDA (formerly Alenia) Marte MK-2A anti-ship missiles. The external hard points can also carry the Vinten VICON-601 reconnaissance pod, laser designator pod, radar warning receiver pod and Elettronica ELT-55 electronic countermeasures pod."
Check out http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/yak/ for more info. -
It's definitely cheaper than the BAe Hawk 200, a serious contender as a Lead-in Fighter for AJT. The Hawk (different variants) are being used in NFTC, UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia etc. for Lead-in Fighter programme.
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Come to think of it, with both the S211 and A4 skyhawks soon to be obsolete, I wonder what a/c the RSAF will consider getting as replacements for pilot training? I guess the M-346 could be a serious contender.... anyone has any ideas?
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how u know its cheaper, they gave u a quotation ah?Originally posted by panda_eyes:It's definitely cheaper than the BAe Hawk 200, a serious contender as a Lead-in Fighter for AJT. The Hawk (different variants) are being used in NFTC, UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia etc. for Lead-in Fighter programme. -
Read it in an article in some Journal. The article was talking about privatisation of military pilot training, and how UK opted to buy the Mk128 rather than having it leased which was considered less cost effective, and the other contenders for lead-in fighters, such as the M346, Mako etc.
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Revised First Flight for Aermacchi's M346 Advanced Jet Trainer Prototype
Aviation Week & Space Technology
03/29/2004, page 13
Edited by Patricia J. Parmalee
PO1, TAKE 2
Aermacchi is working toward a revised first flight of the prototype M346 advanced jet trainer, aircraft PO1, by mid-May. It had been set to fly last December, but a delay in the development of the flight control system, among other factors, led to the pushback. Prototype PO2 is scheduled to be flown by the second quarter of 2005, while a third, fitted with definitive landing gear (the PO1 uses gear borrowed from the AMX fighter-bomber), is slated to fly in mid-2006. The third prototype is viewed as representative of the initial production standard. -
jus curious,is the RSAF getting any or planning replacementf for the S211s?Originally posted by panda_eyes:Come to think of it, with both the S211 and A4 skyhawks soon to be obsolete, I wonder what a/c the RSAF will consider getting as replacements for pilot training? I guess the M-346 could be a serious contender.... anyone has any ideas?