The first production Leonardo M-346 destined for Italy’s Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team has emerged from the company’s Venegono facility wearing the team’s new livery. The aircraft, designated T-346A by the Italian Air Force, is the first airframe built for the programme and will replace the team’s Aermacchi MB-339PAN fleet, which has served since 1982.
Photographs taken in mid-October show the aircraft in the blue, white and red scheme unveiled during the M-346’s selection in 2024. It had not yet received its individual team number or the Frecce Tricolori markings on the tail. The aircraft previously displayed in team colours was used to present the selected type and livery; it was not an airframe built for the operational programme.
Italy plans to acquire 15 M-346s for the 313th Acrobatic Training Squadron: 10 for the main formation, one for the commander and four spares. The aircraft form part of a wider planned procurement of 20 M-346s, with five intended to augment the Italian Air Force’s existing advanced training fleet.
Specialist aviation reporting places the start of deliveries in 2027 and the first full Frecce Tricolori air-show season with the M-346 in 2028. Those dates remain expected rather than officially confirmed. The two-seat, twin-engine advanced jet trainer is already designated T-346A in Italian Air Force service.