For the primary time the U.S. Air Drive has chosen a overseas faculty to coach its pilots, with the primary 10 college students arriving quickly in Italy.
The Italian Air Drive and the U.S. Air Drive introduced a historic settlement, which is able to see for the primary time in historical past U.S. scholar pilots skilled in a overseas faculty belonging to a NATO Ally. The college chosen by the American service is the Worldwide Flight Coaching Faculty (IFTS) at Decimomannu Air Base, in Sardinia, Italy.
The settlement, known as the “Idea of Operations (CONOPS) for Flight Coaching of the USAF Navy Personnel in Italy,” was signed individually on Aug. 22, 2025, by the Chief of Workers of the Italian Air Drive, Lieutenant Common Antonio Conserva, and Lieutenant Common Brian S. Robinson, Commander of the U.S. Air Drive Air Schooling & Coaching Command.
In response to the press launch, the IFTS was chosen for its confirmed excellence and skill to supply an progressive and difficult coaching program. The Leonardo T-346A jet coach, which has additionally been a candidate for the USAF’s T-38 substitute, has been outlined as an extra energy behind this settlement.
The 2 companies labored collectively on the event of coaching program, structured across the “Multiphase Jet Coaching Built-in Syllabus,” which is able to permit college students to earn their Navy Pilot License on the T-346A in roughly 9 months. Ten U.S. college students will arrive quickly at Decimomannu to start out their coaching.
U.S. delegation visited a number of occasions the IFTS and the 61st Wing, and officers had been impressed after being proven the traits of T-346 superior coach. Additionally, previously, USAF teacher have been assigned to the college, though it’s unclear if new instructors can be a part of the settlement too.
Worldwide Flight Coaching Faculty
The Worldwide Flight Coaching Faculty mission was introduced in 2018 on the Farnborough Airshow, when the letter of intent was signed by the ItAF chief of employees and the CEO of Leonardo. Primarily based at Decimomannu AB, the college covers the Part IV coaching, or Lead-In Fighter Coaching, with the T-346A.
As a part of the IFTS, the ItAF has the lead for the administration of the operational necessities and of the operations, in addition to the maintenance of the standard requirements of the flight faculty. The ItAF can be answerable for the administration of the coaching syllabus, the coaching of the instructors and the standard management of the exit stage of the scholars.
Leonardo is answerable for the investments for the creation of the college with plane and simulators of the newest technology and new floor infrastructures, in addition to the operations’ help with technicians that can aspect with the navy personnel. The brand new campus in Decimomannu takes full benefit of the Sardinian coaching infrastructures already used for years by the Italian navy.
A whole constructing is devoted to the Floor Primarily based Coaching System (GBTS) services, with latest-generation simulation methods, inclusive of two Full Mission Simulators and three Half Activity Coach artificial simulators for emergency administration coaching modules and extra superior coaching missions, in addition to lecture rooms and workplaces.
Leonardo and CAE, by the three way partnership “Leonardo CAE Superior Jet Coaching”, present technical-logistic help to the Worldwide Flight Coaching Faculty, together with full upkeep and operation of the M-346 plane and its Floor-Primarily based Coaching System, in addition to operation of IFTS base services. The built-in help optimizes the administration of fleets and simulators for optimum operability, together with the superior full-mission simulator collectively developed by Leonardo and CAE.
The IFTS has already develop into internationally famend, all through its first years of operations, as one of the crucial superior and state-of-the-art flight colleges for the coaching of future fighter jet pilots. The college is now a world reference for Superior LIFT to raised put together pilots that can fly on front-line fighters of 4+ and fifth gen, just like the Eurofighter Storm and the F-35.
The IFTS college students are adopted all through their coaching by a group of 40 instructors, each navy and civilian, whereas flying greater than 8,000 flight hours per yr on the M-346 Grasp and as many within the superior flight simulators, for a couple of 1:1 ratio between actual and simulated flight hours. The college exploits the ItAF’s in depth know-how within the coaching sector and the nationwide business’s excellence within the built-in coaching methods.
The Part IV Lead In to Fighter Coaching
The Part IV coaching of the Italian Air Drive pilots relies on two pillars: the T-346A superior coaching plane and its built-in coaching system, which permit college students to conduct actual and artificial coaching missions in a joint method, rising the coaching worth. Due to its options, it’s the best system to coach future fighter pilots which aren’t solely required to be good proficient pilots, however additionally they have to handle your entire weapon system, with all its sensors and weapons, in situations which have gotten more and more extra advanced, much less permissive and with loads of threats.
The pilots are skilled underneath the extensively adopted “prepare as you combat” idea, to raised put together them for operational models. In the present day’s fighter pilots have to have first order administration abilities as proper now the prevalence in opposition to adversaries is obtained within the info area, the fusion of the information from a number of domains and the response time. The fashionable LIFT coaching extremely displays these wants.
The syllabus developed for the Part 4 closely exploits the bottom coaching section of the M-346 to construct these capabilities, with the stay flights being the final step of the coaching and amounting to roughly 50% of the coaching occasions. The simulator coaching is so sensible that may be counted as actual flight hours, with out shedding coaching effectiveness.
Throughout these 9 months of coaching, the pilots proceed to develop the coaching blocks of the Specialised Pilot Coaching. In truth, throughout the Part III, college students are already uncovered to Fundamental Fighter Maneuvers, Fundamental Air to Floor employment, Defensive Counter Air missions, Air-to-Air Refueling, in addition to stay hearth vary missions, as well as the usual contact, instrument, tactical formation coaching blocks.
The LIFT coaching administered by the 212° Gruppo (Squadron) is very modular, to raised adapt to the wants of the air forces who prepare there. In truth, some international locations don’t require all modules for the coaching of their pilots, whereas Italian pilots are skilled on your entire syllabus. Among the many modules we discover Superior Air to Air, Superior Air to Floor, Offensive Counter Air, Defensive Counter Air, Superior Fight Maneuvers, Fast Response Alert, Air to Air Refueling and in addition an introduction to COMposite Air Operations.
An necessary ingredient of the LIFT coaching is represented by the efficiency of the plane, that are similar to those of 4th and fifth gen plane, making virtually negligible the transition from the coach to the ultimate assigned plane. The complete Part IV course features a whole of roughly 150 simulator and actual flight coaching periods, flown in all climate situations, throughout day and night time, with the help of Helmet Mounted Shows and Night time Imaginative and prescient Methods.
Throughout this section, college students even have the chance to coach in real-life taking pictures situations in devoted coaching areas in Sardinia, giving them the power to right away take a look at within the subject the abilities acquired. Decimomannu is, the truth is, residence to the AWTI (Air Weapons Coaching Set up), a completely built-in coaching set up with air-to-air and air-to-ground ranges in addition to an EW (Digital Warfare) vary.
