|
Which Trainer Will Poland Choose — the T-50 or M-346?
With Poland about to operate F-16 fighters, the pressure is on for that country to buy the supersonic T-50 trainer made by Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries.
But Aermacchi believes Poland will be much better off with the subsonic, more economical but more versatile M-346 trainer. The reason, apart from the aircraft itself, is that while the T-50 will come with industrial offsets, Aermacchi is offering an industrial partnership in the whole M-346 program.
“Most are deluded by offsets, which are indirect (as being offered on the T-50). But with a partnership one also gets technology transfer,” says Aermacchi CEO Carmelo Cosentino.
“Offsets have short benefit and poor quality. They are only good at the beginning when you start from scratch, but when you intend to go up in technology they don’t work.”
They also do nothing for developing management to world-class standard.
Cosentino should know. He has been around Finmeccanica’s Alenia Aeronautica — and now Aermacchi — long enough to see firsthand the results of working closely with Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, companies which, he says, “permitted Alenia to grow.” — John Morris
back
to ShowNews home
|
