Farnborough Airshow 2026: CAE and Leonardo to advance M-346 training

CAE and Leonardo today announced a collaboration agreement that leverages their long-standing partnership on the M-346 Integrated Training System (ITS). The agreement strengthens the cooperation, addressing market opportunities in advanced fighter pilot training and establishes the development of advanced capabilities to prepare pilots for evolving operational concepts, including latest and next generation air operations, AI-enabled systems, and increasingly autonomous mission environments.

The agreement reflects the continued growth of the CAE–Leonardo relationship and expands its scope into Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) and Live Synthetic Integration (LSI) environments. Together, the companies will collaborate on a technology roadmap that advances the M-346 ITS, including the Block 20 system features.

The International Flight Training School (IFTS) in Decimomannu, Sardinia, the Italian Air Force advanced training school powered by Leonardo in collaboration with CAE, stands as a proven example of the CAE-Leonardo partnership, delivering one of the world’s most integrated fighter jet training environments for complex, next-generation operational missions. By combining live flight training, advanced simulation, and mission rehearsal, supported by data-driven instruction, IFTS demonstrates how integrated training solutions can accelerate and sustain mission readiness.

The integrated training approach demonstrated at IFTS also reflects a growing need for greater interoperability among allied air forces. Training environments such as IFTS enable pilots from different nations to train together using common standards, tactics and mission scenarios, strengthening operational cohesion across NATO and partner forces. Advanced simulation further allows pilots to experience complex operational scenarios repeatedly and safely, accelerating learning while improving preparedness for real-world missions.

“Our longstanding collaboration with Leonardo and the International Flight Training School (IFTS), stands as the premier example of combining highly sophisticated simulation technologies and live flight training to deliver world-class pilot instruction and operational readiness,” said Pascal Grenier, President, CAE Defence & Security. “The future battlespace will place greater demands on pilots than ever before. Through this collaboration, we will develop training environments that help aviators build the judgement, adaptability, and decision-making skills needed to employ advanced and automated mission systems.”

“As nations across the world prepare to operate increasingly advanced and integrated air capabilities, pilot training must rapidly adapt to make sure the entire syllabus and the relevant technologies fully adhere to this evolution,” said Stefano Bortoli, Leonardo Aeronautics Managing Director. “This progressive agreement with our longstanding partner, CAE, will strengthen the development of highly skilled pilots for current and future operational requirements. By combining our complementary know-hows and experiences, already shown through our collaboration on the International Flight Training School, we are strengthening our ability to support defence leaders in ensuring their pilots are prepared for the challenges of tomorrow’s battlespace.”