Italian Air Force unveils M-346 for Frecce Tricolori
The Italian Air Force unveiled on September 12 the first M-346 AJT jet that will be used by Frecce Tricolori, its famous aerobatic squadron.
The Leonardo aircraft will replace the MB-339s that have been in service for over 40 years.
The M-346 was presented by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, General Luca Gorett, and the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, at the Istrana Air Base.
Frecce Tricolori has just returned from a long tour that lasted almost three months and included 26 presentations in North America.
The responsibility for designing the new paint job for the M-346 aerobatic aircraft fell to the renowned Pininfarina studio, best known for its automobile designs but also working in other areas such as architecture.
Frecce Tricolori adopted the MB-339, an evolution of the MB-326, in 1982 and has since toured many places around the world with its exciting performances.
Created in 1961, the air demonstration squadron ended up suffering one of the most serious air show accidents in history.
On August 28, 1988, during a performance at Raimstein Air Base in Germany, three MB-339s collided in mid-air and fell onto the audience.
In addition to the three pilots, 67 spectators died on the ground and 346 people were injured. The accident led to a change in the way air shows were held, with the aircraft performing aerial maneuvers further away from the audience.
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