In addition to the Eurofighter, Austria will receive a second jet fleet: as the “Krone” has learned, a letter of intent will be signed this Saturday with the Italian Ministry of Defense on the purchase of twelve M-346 FAs. One billion euros has been budgeted for the new aircraft.
The aircraft are the replacement for the Saab 105, which was retired at the end of 2020 and was used for decades to monitor the airspace and train pilots from Linz-Hörsching.
It was expected that the choice would fall on the small, two-seat subsonic jet aircraft from the manufacturer Leonardo: the General Staff had also issued advice for this type. It is not yet clear how expensive the purchase will be, but the budget is around one billion euros.
The second fleet must relieve Zeltweg
The news was received euphorically among the troops on Friday evening; the decision had been pending for almost a year. The lack of a second fleet at the Linz location had recently even put pressure on the Eurofighter in the Zeltweg and led to surveillance disruptions for days – the ‘Krone’ reported.
Army circles say the purchase will close a significant capability gap in the Air Force. In addition to pilot training and airspace surveillance, it will also be possible for the first time to fly more air-ground missions.
Source: Krone
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