PanARMENIAN.Net - Leonardo S.p.A. an Italian company specialising in aerospace, defence and security, is planning to deliver M-346FA (Fighter Attack) jets to an international customer, most probably to Azerbaijan.
During a visit to Italy in February, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and company representatives signed a deal on the acquisition of M-346 compab jet trainer aircraft.
Christiaan Triebert, the journalist who confirmed that Turkish F-16s were stationed in Ganja airport, bumped into Azerbaijanis’ efforts to prove that the aircraft depicted on a satellite photo are Italian fighter jets. However, Trieber not only refuted those arguments with a photo analysis, but also got confirmation from a Leonardo representative that the jets have not been delivered to Azerbaijan and no such shipment is planned for 2021.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov in the cockpit of an M-346 military trainer jet.
Azerbaijan is planning to buy the fighter attack variant of M-346 jets.
According to Leonardo’s General Manager Lucio Valerio Cioffi, the fighter jet maintains all the features of the M-346AJT (Advanced Jet Trainer) version, at the same time becoming an efficient light attack jet equipped with a multi-mode fire-control radar and precision sensors. The fighter jets are designed to strike specific targets on the ground.
It is beyond doubt that if Azerbaijan acquires the Italian jets, it will use them to target not only Nagorno-Karabakh’s military objects but also civilian populations living in the conflict zone.
Since September 27 – the first day of the war launched by Azerbaijan – their artillery and air force are shelling Artsakh’s civilian settlements, with the use of forbidden cluster munitions confirmed by Amnesty International as well. About 30 civilians have already been killed so far.
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