Canada Considers Italian Jet Trainers

Canada has begun negotiations with Italy’s Leonardo to buy a fleet of jet trainers as part of its training modernization program. If the talks work out, Canada would do its advanced fighter pilot training on the M-346, which the Italian company has sold to 20 countries. The little twin (it uses two Honeywell F124 turbofans) first flew in 2004 and incorporates many of the modern systems that fourth- and fifth-generation fighters employ like fly-by-wire controls that can mimic the flight characteristics of the frontline aircraft the students will graduate to fly. It’s also transonic and capable of Mach 1.15 without afterburners.

It would appear that flexibility might be central to Canada’s decision. Canada is close to making an announcement on its choice for a new frontline fighter fleet to replace the 40-year-old legacy F/A-18 Hornets it still uses. In its bid to reduce dependence on the U.S. for military equipment, Canada is reportedly considering a mixed fleet of more than 100 new fighters split between the F-35 and the Saab Gripen. Canada had originally ordered 88 F-35s but strained relations with the U.S. on trade and sovereignty issues have prompted the government to look elsewhere for military hardware in the past year.