Leonardo pitches M-345 to Slovakia
The M-345 is billed as having the capabilities of a jet trainer with the operating costs of a turboprop. (Leonardo)
Leonardo is pitching its M-345 High Efficiency Trainer (HET) to Slovakia as a potential replacement for the country’s Aero L-39CM/L-39ZAM advanced jet trainer aircraft.
The Slovak Air Force (Vzdušné sily Slovenskej Republiky: VSR) has a requirement to replace its small fleet of Czechoslovak-era Aero L-39CM/L-39ZAMs with up to eight new advanced jet trainer aircraft as it prepares to receive its new Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft from 2023.
the three L-39CM and two L-39ZAM aircraft received in 1972 and 1976, respectively, cannot be sustained beyond 2025, meaning the VSR has an urgent requirement to replace these in the short term.
