Paris Air Show 2019
IFTS Expands to ‘Deci’
Leonardo and the Italian Air Force have outlined plans for the future of the International Flight Training School (IFTS), which was established at Galatina (Lecce) in southern Italy following an agreement signed at Farnborough in 2018. The first step, involving courses for civil instructors, begins with three (soon four) Leonardo T-346 Masters, and training for foreign air force cadets will start by the end of 2019. Next year Leonardo T-345s will arrive at Galatina to consolidate and improve the IFTS Basic Training Excellence Centre.
IFTS Step 2 will establish a permanent Advanced Training Excellence Centre at Decimomannu, Sardinia, and the T-346 training system will be transferred to the new facility in 2021. The advantages of moving to ‘Deci’ include dual runways that can support high training volumes, dedicated airspace for training, live air-to-air and air-to-ground ranges, as well as good weather. The Sardinian base has also been used less frequently since Germany closed its permanent detachment there in late 2016. New infrastructure, including a maintenance and logistics centre, a flight line and maintenance hangars will be built at Deci, as will a simu…
