The Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) recently received its first three Leonardo M-346 trainers. The first aircraft in Qatari colours was spotted parked next to a Dassault Rafale on January 26, 2021, during a recent pilot graduation ceremony of the Al Zaeem Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Attiyah Air Collage at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.
In November 2020, the QEAF announced its intention to train its pilots at the International Flight Training School (IFTS), a joint initiative by Aeronautica Militare and Leonardo. The school is located in Galatina, southern Italy.
T-346 jet trainers produced by Aermacchi and Leonardo are brought together with military instructors from the Italian Air Force. QEAF pilots will arrive at the IFTS for the first time in June of 2021. Leonardo M-346 purchase, while being mentioned at the time, was never officially disclosed. It"s official now. As part of a deal for the training of Qatari pilots at the International Flight Training School, Leonardo has ordered six aircraft for the QEAF, reports Janes.
As of this writing, " The first three aircraft [...] are now in Qatar." The fate of the two aircraft that took part in the flypast event at Qatar"s Armed Forces Air Academy is still unknown. In addition to the M-346, the QEAF has nine BAE Systems Hawk aircraft at Royal Air Force (RAF) Leeming in the United Kingdom for advanced pilot training.
