Italian and Dutch student pilots will be the first to attend the course on the new aircraft supplied to the Galatina-Lecce school
The first training course for student pilots on the T-345A aircraft officially began on Monday 28 July, at the 61st Wing of Galatina-Lecce. The course, corresponding to phase II of the training process, will last about 9 months and will see the participation of Italian and Dutch student pilots, confirming the increasingly consolidated international projection of the Italian training system.
The T-345A is a state-of-the-art jet aircraft, designed for basic and basic-advanced training of military pilots. With modern avionics and operating costs similar to those of a high-performance turboprop, it represents an important generational leap compared to the T-339A which, for over four decades, has been the beating heart of the Air Force’s flight training. An evolutionary step that has not only concerned the technological aspect but also the approach to training: the integration with advanced simulation systems allows the T-345A to set up complex tactical environments during flight, offering unprecedented realism in learning. Closely related to the T-346A, already in use for the advanced training phase (called phase IV) for future fighter pilots, it will ensure training continuity between the different phases of the fighter pilot qualification path.
Initially used by the 214th Flight Group for Phase II – Primary Pilot Training, the T-345A will later also be used by the 213th Group for Phase III – Specialized Pilot Training. Colonel Gianfranco Liccardo, Commander of the 61st Wing, during the usual greetings at the beginning of the course, wanted to convey the right motivations to the new attendees: “You are the pioneers of a new training system: it will be thanks to your skills that the integration of a new aircraft will take shape, allowing the Air Force to take a further step towards an even more advanced training system, sustainable and interoperable with international partners. This new platform, in addition to enhancing training capabilities, will confirm Galatina’s role as a global center of excellence.” The 61st Wing, now a historic international reference point in the military flight training sector, is structured to provide high-performance preparation tailored to the training of pilots destined for aerotactical lines. Specifically, the Salento Flight School deals with phase II training (common to all military student pilots and aimed at identifying the lines on which they will fly), phase III (aimed exclusively at student pilots selected for fighter lines) and the fourth and final phase – “Lead In to Fighter Training (LIFT)” –, preparatory to subsequent use on the latest generation fighter aircraft, through the employee 212th Flight Group/IFTS located at the Decimomannu headquarters.
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