Austria has wrapped up a 1.5-billion-euro ($1.7 billion) deal to purchase 12 Leonardo M-346FA fighter-attack aircraft from Italy.
Deliveries to Linz-Hörsching Air Base will begin in 2028, with the aircraft assigned to both operational roles and aircrew training.
The unit cost is approximately 80 million euros ($92.8 million), and the package includes weapons, training systems, simulators, and sustainment support.
The Austrian government stated that the M-346FA addition supports its “two-fleet strategy,” pairing Eurofighter jets for national air policing with a lighter aircraft fleet suited for training, lower-threat missions, and support for more advanced platforms.
The new M-346FAs will also allow Austria to shift all pilot training back within its own borders, reducing reliance on long-standing arrangements with Germany and Italy.
Vienna further highlighted the economic benefits, saying side agreements with Italy are expected to deliver about 400 million euros ($464.5 million) in industrial activity for Austrian firms.
These efforts will span aerospace production, supplier networks, digitalization, and work involving materials, simulation technologies, and sensors.
Derived from Leonardo’s M-346 Master trainer, the M-346FA incorporates advanced systems to bolster combat effectiveness.
The platform is 11 meters (36 feet) long, features a wingspan of 10 meters (33 feet), and can carry machine guns, cannons, unguided bombs, and a variety of strike missiles.
Two Honeywell F124-GA-200 turbofan engines power the aircraft to a top speed of 575 knots (1,066 km/662 mph), a range of 1,200 nautical miles (2,222 km/1,381 miles), and a maximum altitude of 13,716 meters (45,000 feet).
