The United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence (UAE AF & AD) have included the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 advanced trainer and M-311 basic trainer in the “Short List” for its planned acquisition of a new training system for future F-16 and Mirage 2000 pilots.
The inclusion of both platforms is particularly important for Finmeccanica and Alenia Aermacchi because it recognizes that the Italian company is the only manufacturer capable of providing advanced technology aircraft for the two major segments of the military pilot training syllabus...