Austria secures new training jets: strengthening the Air Force!

Austria secures new training jets: strengthening the Air Force!

Hörsching, Österreich - Austria progresses in big steps and upgrades his army! In a significant decision, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner announced that twelve state-of-the-art Leonardo M-346fa jets will be procured. These jets replace the outdated SAAB-105 training jets, which were already retired in 2020. The future home of these new aircraft will be the air base in Hörsching, Linz-Land district. According to media reports, the financial resources for this purchase were already provided for this purchase in 2022 in the budget, while the contract details are currently being negotiated with Italy in the “government-to-government” procedure, such as 5min.at reported.

The new jets are not only technological progress, but also a strategic plan to strengthen airspace defense. Tanner emphasized that the entire pilot training will in future mean 100 percent in Austria, which means the reduction of previous training abroad, which was associated with high costs. The Leonardo M-346FA Jet is a two-seater and weapon-capable subdillage jet, which is used not only for pilot training, but also to support the land forces. "With the purchase of the jets, we close an essential skill gap in our air forces," explained Tanner. This cooperation with Italy also proves proof of the friendly relationships between the two countries, as Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer emphasized, while he expressed a special gratitude to the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who contributed to the implementation of this agreement, as well as reported.

By purchasing the new jets, not only is Austria's military power strength strengthened, but also promoted economic cooperation with domestic industry. The military importance is significantly upgraded by the air base Vogler in Linz-Hörsching, which could have positive effects on the region's military infrastructure. All in all, this decision marks a crucial step towards strengthening and modernizing the Austrian air forces.