By Richard Lawrence
Imagine you’re a military pilot at the top of your game about to transition onto 4th, or better yet 5th, generation fighters. Now, someone says to you,”How’d you like to go to the Mediterranean for training?”. Certainly a dream come true and the reason that Leonardo S.p.A has brought an M-346 advanced jet trainer to Ottawa to try and convince the RCAF that the M-346 T or M-346 F would be a good aircraft to fill niches in the RCAF inventory as well as promote the use at the International Flight Training School (IFTS) at Decimomannu Air Base (Sardinia) for Lead-In Fighter Training (LIFT - also known as Fighter Lead-In Training (FLIT) in Canada). For those of us who have never heard of this Italian Air Base, it is about 600 km west of the Italian boot and about 240 km north of Tunisia, smack dab in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
Pay attention to the acronyms as there are plenty. For example, Lead-In Fighter Training (LIFT) means advanced jet training, complete with radars and weapons, on a platform less capable than what the pilot will end up flying but will take them up to the point where they can go directly to the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) and become operational in less time. In Canada, this is also known as Fighter Lead-In Training (FLIT) and was carried out on the CT-155 Hawk before it was retired in 2024. This training brings the pilot up to combat standards but is less expensive than using the final platform such as the F-18 or the F-35 for the training. ItAF is the Italian Air Force, IFTS is the International Flight Training School, ETTS is the Embedded Tactical Training System, and there will be more.
Now, to be upfront, Leonardo does make the M-346 and runs the IFTS while CAE is a big part of the simulation structure that is integrated not only into the school, but the training syllabus and the M-346 aircraft as well. The Italian Air Force has set the syllabus at the IFTS and works pretty much independently even though the Italian Government does have a 25%-30% stake in Leonardo. There are several modules that countries can choose for their pilots within Phase IV which sets them up to transition to 4th/5th generation fighters.
The Presentation – the M-346
Leonardo has made a stop in Ottawa promoting this system and their presentation was broken into three main areas: Leonardo as a company, the International Flight Training School, and the M-346 aircraft with its Embedded Tactical Training System (ETTS). Unfortunately, their presentation was on October 22nd and it turned out to be a bad day for flight ops, which they had also hoped to do. I got there early and was able to go into the hangar and take some pictures and then the M-346 was hauled out to the ramp to do an engine run-up in anticipation of flying after the formal presentation. Again, because I was there early (military training never fails), I was able to go out onto the ramp and take a few static pictures of getting the plane ready and the engine start before it was hauled back into the hangar for the start of the formal presentation.
The M-346 presentation started with test pilot Quirino Bucci (he has about 2,000 hours on the M-346) talking about the plane while it was still hangared, leading people around the aircraft and then up the stairs to take a look at the cockpit and instrumentation. He extolled the virtues of the M-346 with its state-of-the-art multi-function displays, integrated training system onboard the aircraft, etc.
The M-346 was designed as a Fighter Lead-in Trainer (FLIT) to deliver fighter training for the latest generation of combat fighter aircraft prior to the pilot being posted to their operational conversion unit for 4th/5th generation fighters. It comes in two variants: the M-346 F (fighter/attack) and the M-346 T (Trainer). There is no difference in the aircraft other than the fighter version has a fire control radar, electronic warfare suite, tactical data link, IFF interrogator, and a few other small items like weapons hardpoints. In the training version, the space taken up with these electronics is filled with ballast but the wiring is all in place and with a special fighter kit, the trainer can be converted into the fighter aircraft with minimal cost. Both variants handle exactly the same.
To get into some numbers, the M-346 advanced jet trainer is a similar size to a CT-155 Hawk, being slightly shorter (by 3 feet) but having a slightly smaller wingspan (by 1 foot). It’s a dual engine, two seater tandem cockpit aircraft using fly-by-wire control. The cockpit offers tremendous visual range as it’s large and free from obstructions. It’s rated at +8/-3 g, climbs at 22,000 fpm with a max level speed (low altitude) of 590 KTAS (1090 Kpm). The fighter version has seven hardpoints and can be fitted for 6,600 pounds of extra fuel or munitions including air-to-air, air-to-surface, and anti-ship missiles, along with a centerline mounted .50 calibre machine gun or a 20 mm cannon. Worldwide, 146 M-346 aircraft and 22 CAE simulators have been sold to eight countries and the IFTS.
Other cockpit notes are that the instructor station (rear seat) has a full Heads-Up Display (HUD) capable of receiving the training simulation data and/or real-time data from the instruments. The instructor station is, in fact, a full cockpit and the HUD is a full HUD, not just a repeater of the front HUD. There is a Ground Proximity Warning System, a mid-Air Collision Avoidance System, and a Pilot Activated Attitude Recovery System all integrated into the M-346 along with the piece de resistance, the Embedded Tactical Training System (ETTS).
The ETTS permits the M-346 to take on single role, multi-role, and multi-environment simulations while the pilot is airborne. It can integrate with real life aircraft in the air using real time data or simulated data and can link to the ground based simulators at the IFTS, allowing the pilot to engage in multi-person missions without the cost of having all the aircraft in the mission airborne. It doesn’t have to connect to an earth station as the ETTS is part of the integrated electronics onboard the M-346. More on the IFTS and the simulators later.
The Presentation – Leonardo, the company
After the hangar presentation, everyone adjourned to the conference room for the formal Leonardo presentation. As stated earlier, it was in three parts: Corporate, IFTS, and the M-346. Now, you’ll excuse me if I find corporate PowerPoints of revenues and order books and backlogs a little boring. I will say, however, that Leonardo has its fingers in a lot of pies, having main areas of business of Aircraft, Defence Electronics, Helicopters, Cyber & Security, Space and Aerostructures. Last year they had 18 billion Euros revenue with a 44 billion Euro order backlog. They have a presence in over 150 countries with sites in 129.
In Canada they have five sites employing over 400 people and partnerships with many companies including CAE, Pratt-Whitney, L3 Wescam, Northstar, Team Cormorant, and a host of others. Leonardo has invested over 1 billion dollars in Canada with over 75 million dollars going to small/medium sized businesses that they use in their supply chain. They have sold over 50 helicopters across Canada, and have five service centres to keep them airborne, along with over 40 ATR aircraft (Aerei da Trasporto Regionale – turboprop regional airliners from Airbus/Leonardo partnership) and 30 plus radar sites. Busy people.
The Presentation – the International Flight Training School (IFTS)
All the Corporate stuff does indicate a strong company with a worldwide presence which brings us to the International Flight Training School or IFTS. As noted earlier, it’s located in Sardinia and hosted by the Italian Air Force, which is also responsible for its syllabus. It has 22 operational M-346 aircraft running 35 plus sorties a day to 14 (15 counting Italy) international customers that includes the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada, to name only a few. It’s graduated 172 pilots with another 56 in the pipeline.
What makes this school exceptional is the integration of CAE simulators and Ground Based Training Systems (GBTS) with the Leonardo M-346 advanced jet trainer using a real-life syllabus created by the Italian Air Force. It has become the benchmark for all LIFT tactical training emphasizing the higher systems proficiency required by the data processing demands of 4th/5th generation fighters. Those who complete the Phase IV training typically shave months of their conversion training when they return to their operational units meaning that they become operational that much sooner with less wear and tear on 4th/5th generation platforms. IFTS operates from a dual runway airbase, with weapon ranges, diversified airspaces, has generally predictable weather, and 40 instructors to work with 80 students per year. Oh yeah, IT’S IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN!
IFTS operates in a Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC) environment which means Live aircraft, along with Virtual aircraft by means of the GBTS and inputs from computer generated forces or instructors (Constructive) for real-time interaction between simulators and aircraft. Virtual aircraft can be both friend or foe and other inputs can include missiles, weather, aircraft malfunctions, and a host of other inputs. Training simulators vary from simple screens in front of the pilot, to virtual reality goggles, three x part-task training simulators, and two x full mission simulators (complete 360-degree dome coverage). All this to ensure the best training environment for fast jet pilots for actual missions.
Currently, the RCAF does make limited use of the Leonardo IFTS having sent two instructors plus six students in 2024, six students in 2025, and are slated for six, eight, and eight students in 2026, 2027, and 2028. The RCAF needs to make a choice between outsourcing its FLIT requirements to the Leonardo IFTS or maintaining that capability at home.
My Opinion
So, should Canada purchase M-346s? What would their roles be? Although there is not a named successor for the Canadian FLIT role, there is, in fact, a Future Fighter Lead-In Fighter program (FFLIT) charged with recommending a new FLIT program. Notice that I did not say new aircraft as the actual mandate for the FFLIT program is to “… deliver effective fighter education, skills and experience in the control and operation of military high-performance jet aircraft.” (ref.) It doesn’t specify that an airframe must be recommended or that training be carried out by DND in Canada. That leaves the door open for Leonardo to present the M-346 to Canada as a FLIT replacement as well as promote the IFTS for training. Keep in mind that the M-346 is a world class trainer, with an already a proven design (Block 20 is coming out now), already operational, and already with a full production line. The IFTS is a fully functioning military flight school with a full FLIT syllabus suitable for and already in use by the RCAF and 14 other countries.
This is important, as anything that is “on the drawing board”, if the past is any indicator, will have cost overruns, production delays, and design hiccups, that will invariably delay to project, cost the taxpayer more, and mean compromises on the final equipment. I say this as a former procurement officer on the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project and other capital procurements, and I see it now on the new Canadian Surface Combatant (British Type-26 Frigate is new design), the F-35 procurement, and just about any major capital procurement Canada has undertaken in the past four decades. Canada starts a procurement, gets bogged down in useless regional and industrial benefits that only cause the cost of the equipment to skyrocket and creates delays, then has to deal with political interference as budget cuts need to be made and governments change, making promises to cut DND budgets to get elected (Chretien and the EH101 helicopters come to mind, Chretien with the Victoria class submarines is another).
One way to mitigate some of this is to buy “commercial off-the-shelf” (COTS) equipment. Canada gets proven equipment, sooner, and, although the regional and industrial benefits may not be as great, the lesser cost of the capital procurement will probably offset capital expenditures to obtain those benefits. Canada is small and having custom designed equipment, or COTS equipment that has been “Canadianized”, is a waste of time and tax-payer dollars. Buying COTS also means the procurement cycle gets into place sooner leaving less opportunity for politicians to interfere, delay, or outright cancel the equipment purchase, at least without massive penalties which can also mean political blowback.
The FFLIT program has identified CAE Inc. as a strategic partner with the RCAF and if the RCAF decides to keep the LIFT/FLIT training in Canada, then the cost of the aircraft is the least cost item on the list. One needs to consider the infrastructure to maintain the aircraft, the logistics supply chain, tech training, special tools, daily operational expenses, and other necessities for a fleet. These costs, over the lifetime of the aircraft, are far greater than the initial capital procurement cost. And Canada still wouldn’t have the quality of training that would be provided by the Leonardo IFTS in Sardinia because Canada wouldn’t have all the integration of CAE’s simulation systems that are integrated into the IFTS nor the cadre of instructors in-house. Now, CAE does run the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program at Moose Jaw so maybe the cost wouldn’t be as high as starting from scratch if space can be made within existing infrastructure. Still, it’s a significant cost to acquire all the aircraft and simulators that we don’t yet have.
At this time, Canada’s committed to purchasing the F-35 which is expensive to operate but a fifth generation platform. We will, no doubt, use it in multiple roles, maybe some that it’s not designed for which Canada does from time to time (one example, the F-104 as a low level ground support aircraft). Canada could use the M-346 is in the Advanced Jet Training role as the RCAF retired the CT-155 Hawk, its previous FLIT, in 2024 without a named replacement. Using an F-35 in a FLIT role would be an expensive option and put unneeded wear on an airframe that needs to last decades. Using an aircraft like the M-346 makes a cost-effective alternative in this scenario. Perhaps it could also replace the CT-114 for the Snowbirds.
The reality is that Canada has a small population and can only be taxed so much for military procurement (or you can just borrow more like the Liberals). Having multiple small number platforms in the RCAF inventory doesn’t make sense from a cost or logistics viewpoint (supply chain, air tech training, special tools, etc.). Canada needs one aircraft for multiple roles but an F-35 for the FLIT role is a waste of resources, takes time off the airframe for non-defence activities, and takes needed aircraft out of the operational pipeline. If we can’t afford a dedicated FLIT aircraft, then outsourcing the training is the next option.
There is far more detail on the IFTS, M-346, Leonardo and CAE than I will/can cover here. If you need more, please visit their various websites. To be sure, the Leonardo and CAE reps make a good case for using their services but someone will have to crunch the numbers to see if sending the number of pilots that Canada requires can be accommodated by the IFTS, along with their other international commitments, and whether it still remains cost effective at those numbers.
That being said, I was looking forward to seeing the M-346 in the air but unfortunately Jupiter (Roman god of sky, thunder, lightning, and RAIN [see the Italian connection there]) had other plans and the flight was canceled due to inclement weather.
