On 29 November, the Austrian Air Force announced that it has decided to proceed with the acquisition of a batch of 12 new Italian-designed Leonardo M-346FA aircraft, each priced at 80 million euros. This purchase will enable the service to finally replace its Saab 105s, which were retired in 2020, creating a capability gap in pilot training. According to information published by the service itself, deliveries are expected to be completed by 2028, at which point the aircraft will be based at Linz-Hörsching Air Base.
Seeking to justify the need for this acquisition—which will require a total investment of 1.5 billion euros, including aircraft and associated elements—the Austrian Air Force stated that it allows the service to advance, for the first time, towards a two-fleet strategy aimed at maintaining two complementary systems for the country’s air defence. Specifically, the Eurofighter jets already in service will continue to handle airspace surveillance, while the M-346FA will be used for the aforementioned pilot training missions (a task carried out abroad in recent years), as well as operating as light combat aircraft if required.
Regarding this matter, the official statement issued by the Bundesheer notes that the initiative received support from both the Defence and Economy ministries, headed by Klaudia Tanner and Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer respectively. For both officials, the purchase of these aircraft will have a dual impact: strengthening the Air Force’s operational capabilities and supporting local industrial capacities involved in parallel contracts with Italy, through which Austria expects to generate 400 million euros in revenue across sectors including aerospace engineering and digitalisation, among others.
For Vienna, this is no minor issue, as expressed in the statement: “The security and defence industry already represents an important part of the Austrian economy. Around 11,000 people work directly in the sector, and approximately 20,000 more are employed by supplier companies. Annual turnover is around 3.3 billion euros, about 150 companies are active, and the research and development (R&D) share is 7.5%.” In line with this, it was noted that the acquisition was carried out based on the procurement processes of Austria’s European partners with similar industrial structures, with the aim of providing an adequate framework for the integration of local companies into the defence market.
Images used for illustrative purposes.
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