Canada opens negotiations on M-346 trainer aircraft

WASHINGTON — The government of Canada has begun negotiations to buy the Leonardo-made M-346 trainer aircraft, according to a statement today from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office.

“Canada and Italy are becoming increasingly close in defence and security. To that end, the leaders were pleased to launch negotiations for Canada’s purchase of M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft designed and produced by Leonardo, one of Italy’s largest aerospace companies,” said the statement, released as part of a readout from Carney’s meeting with Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni.

“Leveraging Italian expertise in aerospace and defence, this agreement will enable the Royal Canadian Air Force to train in state-of-the-art equipment and build sovereign training capability,” the statement adds, before noting it fits into the “Build-Partner-Buy approach building at home and partnering with reliable allies” — a notable comment given the relationship between Ottawa and Washington these days.

No further details on quantity, price or timeline were made available. A spokesperson for Leonardo said the company “Welcomes the Canadian Government’s statement on the M-346.”

The news comes as Canada continued to debate whether to finalize a large procurement of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, or add in a procurement of Saab-made Gripen jets. The CBC reported on June 6 that Ottawa may be looking at a mixed fleet that would end up over 100 planes. (The M-346 is has been used to train pilots for both the F-35 and Gripen.)

The M-346 is used by over 20 countries for pilot training. But many of those countries, including Canada currently, train on it by sending their pilots to Italy’s International Flight Training School (IFTS), as opposed to buying their own fleets.

The company claims over 160 M-346 have been sold globally. Among those buying is the International Test Pilots School (ITPS), a pilot training facility in Canada. ITPS announced in March it would purchase six M-346s for use for its students, expected to enter service in 2029.