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| Poland’s new M346 advanced jet trainer. Photo: Honeywell Aerospace |
[Avionics Today 09-23-2014] The International Turbine Engine Company (ITEC), a joint venture between Honeywell Aerospace and Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), will supply propulsion engines for Poland’s eight new Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master advanced jet trainers.
Alenia Aermacchi will deliver the F124-GA-200 turbofan to Poland’s future fighter trainer operations. In addition to the engines for the Polish fleet, ITEC will deliver an additional batch of engines to Alenia Aermacchi for future M-346 operators.
The order, which could be extended if Poland chooses to exercise its option for additional aircraft from Alenia Aermacchi, makes Poland the sixth country to select the F124/F125 engine family, which already has operational status on Taiwan’s Indigenous Defense Fighter and the Czech Republic Air Force’s L159 light combat aircraft and is also powering the M-346 fleets of the Italian Air Force and Republic of Singapore Air Force, among others.
Poland’s new M-346 aircraft will replace the country’s long-serving PZL TS-11 Iskra fleet, enabling its pilots to simulate conditions similar to the F-16 Fighting Falcon —the country’s combat fighter of choice for the past five years — as well as other platforms including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The first aircraft complete with the ITEC F124 engine are scheduled for delivery to Poland in the second half of 2016.