Aermacchi MB-339

Aermacchi MB-339 sur Wikipedia.en

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The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] MB-339 is an Italian military [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and light [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. It was developed as a replacement for the earlier [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Design and development


In September 1972, Aermacchi was awarded a contract to study a replacement for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien])'s MB-326s, comparing seven all-new designs (given the designation MB-338) powered by various engineswith an improved version of the MB-326, designated the MB-339.

The MB-339 was considered to meet the Italian Air Forces requirements while being cheaper than the all-new designs which resulted in it being selected to replace both the MB-326 and the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in Italian service.

The MB-339 is of conventional configuration and all-metal construction, and shares much of the 326's airframe.

It has a low, un-swept wing with tip tanks and jet intakes in the roots, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], and accommodation for the student and instructor in tandem.

The most significant revision was a redesign of the forward fuselage to raise the instructor's seat to allow visibility over and past the student pilot's head.

The aircraft was fitted with a larger fin and powerplant for the initial versions was the same [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 632-43, producing 4,000 lbf (17.79 kW), as fitted to the MB-326-K.

The first flight took place on 12 August 1976 and deliveries to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] commenced in 1979.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}

Still in production in 2004 in an enhanced version with a much-modernised cockpit.

Over 200 MB-339s have been built, with roughly half of them going to the Italian Air Force.

The Lockheed-Aermacchi MB-339 T-Bird II was a losing contender in the USA's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (JPATS) aircraft selection.

Among the seven to enter, the Raytheon/Pilatus entry won, which became the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

According to an article posted on the Italian website 'Il Porto Franci', called 'Armi e finanziamenti nel corno d'Africa', Eritrea paid about $US 50 million for six MB-339 CEs in 1997.

This is the original MB-339 with more advanced avionics for the ground attack role, RWR, uprated [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 680-43 engine, and larger wingtip tanks.

It is capable of carrying [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] AAMs, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] AGMs, and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. Unit price of the MB-339C would have to be somewhere around $US 8.3 million in 1997 dollars.

Operational history


Argentina


The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (Comando de Aviación Naval) was the first foreign user of the forerunner [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], buying eight in 1969.

In 1980, Comando de la Aviación Naval Argentina (CANA), or Argentine naval air command, ordered ten MB-339As, advanced trainer and light attack aircraft.

The MB339 were delivered in 1981 and were operated by the III Escuadra Naval 's 1 Escuadrilla de Ataque. During the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], late in April 1982, six of them were located at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], renamed Base Aérea Militar (BAM) Malvinas.

They were the only attack jets to operate from the Falklands, along with four Beech [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] piston-engined armament trainer and light attack aircraft, and 24 turboprop [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] light attack aircraft of Grupo 3 de Ataque.

Other Airmacchis operated from three mainland bases, at Almirante Zar, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] naval air station.

On 21 May during a routine reconnaissance flight and flown by Lieutenant Owen Crippa, a MB-339A was the first one to attack the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] amphibious force.
The Aermacchi hit the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], causing light damage.

On 27 May, a MB-339A (4-A-114) was shot down by a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] during the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], while attempting to attack British ships and landed troops. The Pilot, Teniente (Lt) Miguel, was killed.

Three MB-339 airframes were captured by the British.

Eritrea

During tensions between Eritrea and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in the late 1990s, Eritrea started to rebuild its [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

In 1995-1996, the Eritreans ordered six Aermacchi MB.339FD strike fighters, with which the first combat unit of the ERAF was founded in 1997.

They have proved their worth as training aircraft and even during the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Their initial deployment started on 5 June 1998 (the same day in which the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] also started its operations).

During the same afternoon, the Ethiopians reported two attacks of Eritrean MB.339FDs on the city of Mekelle, the
capital of Ethiopian province Tigray.

Reportedly, as many as 44 civilians were killed and 135 injured.

However, on 6 June one of the Macchis was shot down north of Mekelle.

The pilot ejected and was rescued by a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] of the ERAF.

The Eritrean Macchis were deployed again on the next day during the fighting around Erde Mattios.

On the morning of 12 June 1998, two Eritrean Mi-8 appeared in low level over Addis Pharmaceutical works, in Adigrat, attempting to bomb it.

Their weapons, however, fell a few yards from the plant and caused only minor damage.

Only a couple of hours later, four MB.339s rocketed and cluster-bombed against several targets in the city as well.

According to Ethiopian sources four people died and 30 other were injured during those attacks.

On 5 February 1999 the Ethiopian government claimed that two Eritrean MB.339FDs attacked a fuel depot in Adigrat, some 48 kilometres inside the Ethiopian border, important for the supply of the Ethiopian army with fuel.