THE the Israeli Ministry of Defense said the country’s air force has taken custody of the final Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Lavi aircraft.
Delivery of the final 30 aircraft completes a deal that saw the first such jets land in Israel in 2014, the ministry said in a statement. Italian manufacturer Alenia Aermacchi, now defunct, was a subisidiary of Leonardo-Finmeccanica.The M-346 aircraft were delivered in record time, within two years from the date of delivery of the first aircraft, featuring a production rate of about 1.5 aircraft a month, the ministry said.
The jets have upgraded the air force’s ability to train future pilots.
The aircraft purchase was part of a deal signed in 2012 between Haifa and Rome that involves reciprocal procurement deals with Italian defense companies.
