PARIS: Italian air force could get M-345 HET



PARIS: Italian air force could get M-345 HET

By:   Craig Hoyle Paris

11:45 19 Jun 2013 

Source: [pic]

Italy has signalled its desire to offer a new-generation jet trainer to the international market, with the signing by Alenia Aermacchi of a letter of intent at the show to study the development of the M-345 HET.

Described as a "high-efficiency trainer", the product could be available for service introduction between 2017 and 2020, says Alenia Aermacchi. The design will be a further evolution of its previous M-311 design, with enhancements that chief executive Giuseppe Giordo claims will enable it to defeat turboprop-powered rivals.

|[pic] |

|Billypix   |

"We want first to satisfy the needs of the Italian customer, but to also look at export opportunities for the M-345," Giordo says. "We are going to modify the aircraft, to have a better trainer." Changes would include replacing the earlier electrical system, changing the cabin dimensions and also introducing a new landing gear, he adds.

"Our training at the moment is fulfilled with some compromises," says Gen Claudio Debertolis, the defence ministry's procurement chief. "Now we are looking for the new medium step."

If advanced to the operational standard, the M-345 HET would occupy the training sector beneath Alenia Aermacchi's M-346 advanced jet trainer. For the Italian air force, this could see the type serve as a successor for its older Alenia Aermacchi MB-339s.

Under the terms of the 18 June letter of intent, the partners will immediately establish a joint working team, "to define the technical specifications of this new aircraft," the company says. The work will also address development needs, "taking into account the principles of cost effectiveness and to satisfy the requirements of the global market."

Giordo says the manufacturer believes a market potential exists to produce more than 200 M-345 HETs, including for international customers. To be powered by a turbofan engine generating 3,500lb (15.6kN) of thrust, the trainer would have a maximum take-off weight of around 3,300kg (7,270lb) and be capable of reaching a top speed of 430kt (795km/h).



Press Kit

Paris - Le Bourget 6/18/2013

Alenia Aermacchi and the Italian National Armaments Directorate: agreement to jointly develop a new jet trainer

[pic]Alenia Aermacchi and the Secretariat General of Defence/National Armaments Directorate of the Italian Ministry of Defence have signed an agreement to jointly define the operational specifications and collaborate on the development of a new basic-advanced trainer, the M-345 HET (High Efficiency Trainer) and expected  to enter service between 2017-2020.

The agreement, announced today at the Le Bourget Paris Air Show by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence, Gen. Claudio Debertolis and Alenia Aermacchi Chief Executive Officer, Giuseppe Giordo, calls for the immediate creation of a joint working team between the Defence and industry to define the technical specifications of this new aircraft and identify the steps necessary for the preliminary study and its consequent development, taking into account the principles of cost effectiveness and to satisfy the possible requirements of the global market.

The new HET will be a further development of the M-345 jet trainer, the latest solution proposed by Alenia Aermacchi for the basic-advanced phase of military pilot training.

 

The avionics system of the M-345 HET, through a significant containment of acquisition and operation costs, aims to offer a cheaper and more effective solution in the training of military pilots compared with the current advanced turboprop solutions which, although sharing the same weight class of the M-345 HET and similar on-board equipment, provide only limited performance and training effectiveness.

The M-345 HET will be equipped with a turbofan engine in the 1.600 kg (3,500 lb) thrust class and will offer long endurance and high load factors between +7/-3,5 g. Furthermore, it will feature state-of-the-art avionics, including a HUD (Head Up Display) in the front cockpit and a repeater in the rear cockpit and multi-function digital displays for both pilot stations and HOTAS (Hands On Throttle-And-Stick) controls. The new trainer will be designed to guarantee a training syllabus perfectly aligned with that of the advanced and pre-operative M-346, starting from the elevated similarity between the two cockpits that will allow for the interoperability in joint training missions.

With regards to logistics, operating costs will be reduced due to the fact that the M-345 will be designed with a two-level maintenance concept, eliminating the third and most onerous level of general revision of the aircraft. Easy access to the simple on-board systems and devices and a HUMS (Health and Usage Monitoring System) that provides all information on structure, engine and system for an effective monitoring of the condition of each single component/system, will simplify maintenance. The introduction of the pressure refueling system and of an OBOGS (On-Board Oxygen Generating System) will significantly reduce the quantity of personnel required for aircraft ground operations, thus reducing the interval time between flights and making the M-345 HET even more advantageous under the management profile.



................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download