The first Leonardo M-346 Master advanced trainer aircraft for Greece, flew for the first time in full Hellenic Air Force markings on April 3, 2023, from the Leonardo factory in Venegono.
The aircraft had its first test flight with primer paint at the end of January, but has now received a standard low-visibility paint job with the HAF round stub on the fuselage and the Greek flag on the tail, accompanied by the tail number 250.
Greece is establishing a joint international school with Israel at Kalamata Air Base, home of the 120th Air Training Wing. Elbit Systems has been selected to build the school and will be tasked with supplying and operating ten M-346 trainers, as well as maintaining the HAF T-6 Texan II fleet.
The Israeli company that has undertaken to create an International Pilot Training Center in Kalamata, in its contractual obligations, undertakes, in addition to the upgrading of all T-6 trainers to state-of-the-art training aircraft, and the conversion of a fleet of T-6 into armed training aircraft. In other words, they will carry weapons and will be the only propeller-driven aircraft of the Air Force, as the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos had revealed.
Their conversion into fighters is promoted mainly to intercept drones. Although nothing is announced in the agreement, it is likely that they are going to bring machine guns, maybe even air-to-air and air-to-ground rockets.
Based on the agreement, ten new M-346 training aircraft are expected to arrive in Kalamata, which will essentially form the basis on which pilot training will take place, together with the T-6 (to be upgraded) that is also used by the Israeli Defense Forces Aviation. In addition, training simulators and logistical support will be provided.
The ambition of the Ministry of National Defense and the Staff is for the Center and Kalamata to become a pole of attraction for international aviation training, a "Top Gun" of the Mediterranean and at the same time to provide a definitive solution to the chronic problem of the Air Force's Icarus training.
Based on the interstate agreement signed by Greece and Israel, the Elbit company will supply the Center with new M-346 training aircraft in the form of a time lease - to replace the aging T-2 Buckeye trainers - while ensuring the availability of the entire trainer fleet, consisting of dozens of training aircraft M-346 and T-6.
Thus, the Air Force's Icarians will have sufficient flight hours and state-of-the-art training equipment. At the same time, pilots from all over the world will be able to train in the new M-346 training aircraft and in state-of-the-art simulators.
The Israelis will also undertake the maintenance of the aircraft and the upgrade of the ground training system (i.e. the simulators). Pilots will be trained on the integrated system of the new training jet, the Italian-made M-346 (Alenia Aermacchi).
The geopolitical situation and of course the strong relations that have developed in recent years between Athens and Tel Aviv played a decisive role. In addition, an important factor for the agreement was the brand name of the company, but also the fact that the mighty Israeli air force has chosen it for the training of its pilots.
The Israelis promise that if they take over the maintenance of the single-engine T-6s, in parallel with the provision of new training aircraft, they will contribute to the improvement of Icarus aviation training, creating the conditions for Kalamata to become an international aviation training center.
A strong argument of the Israelis is the good relations between the two countries in recent years and the co-training of Greek Air Force pilots in joint exercises with the Israeli Air Force. After all, the pilots of the two countries are considered among the best in the world.
Essentially, aviation from other parts of the wider geographical area will be given the opportunity to train in Greece.
ELBIT's proposal provides approximately 10,000 flight hours for each year. It is also offered to upgrade the availability of training helicopters so that they are never below the number of 25 available to the Ikari. Today availability is much lower and rarely exceeds 50% of this number.
It should be mentioned, that the actual work of operational training had been transferred to the fighter squadrons, where air-to-air and air-to-ground weapon targeting and utilization procedures are carried out. To be declared combat ready crews must complete a minimum of 200+ hours in the F-16, at a cost of $15,000 per hour. In a LIFT trainer (M-346, T-50, Hawk, T-7 Redhawk) the corresponding cost does not exceed 7,000 dollars.
