Leonardo’s Block 20 for the M-346
In the competitive world of military aviation training, standing still means falling behind. Leonardo understands this reality perhaps better than most, and their Block 20 program for the M-346 trainer aircraft represents a bold commitment to staying ahead of the curve. As detailed in recent discussions with Leonardo executives at the International Flight Training School (IFTS) in Decimomannu, Sardinia, the Block 20 isn’t just an upgrade. Rather, it’s a comprehensive reimagining of what advanced pilot training can achieve.
Stefano Centioni, Leonardo’s IFTS Chief of Flight Training, draws a striking parallel when explaining the motivation behind Block 20: “We don’t want to do like Motorola did 20 years ago when Apple popped up and they say, ‘We are the Motorola. We are the very first and the match benchmark of the mobile cell phones.’ And then in two years they disappeared. They were the leader. They were having a big gap, but they didn’t look forward.”
This analogy encapsulates Leonardo’s philosophy. Despite currently operating what many consider the world’s most advanced military flight training system, the company refuses to rest on its laurels. The Block 20 represents a deliberate strategy to maintain technological leadership by anticipating the future rather than reacting to it. Given the ongoing negotiation with Austria for the supply of M-346 aircraft, at the moment, this is set to be the first Block20 customer.
Giuseppe Recchia, Senior Vice President and Head of IFTS Business at Leonardo Aeronautics, emphasizes that this forward momentum is embedded in the company’s DNA. The relationship between Leonardo and the Italian Air Force, built on what they call “sistema paese” (country system), creates a unique partnership where institution and industry collaborate as equals, each bringing their expertise to drive innovation.
At its core, the Block 20 program addresses a fundamental challenge: how do you train pilots for aircraft that haven’t fully entered operational service yet? The answer lies in building training systems that can accommodate and exploit fifth-generation capabilities today, while remaining flexible enough to evolve toward sixth-generation requirements tomorrow.
The Block 20 will feature integration capabilities designed specifically for new generation aircraft. This isn’t about incremental improvements to existing systems. Tt’s about fundamentally reimagining how pilots interact with their training environment. The goal is to create a training platform that mirrors the capabilities and operational concepts of aircraft like the F-35, ensuring that student pilots are prepared not just for today’s challenges, but for tomorrow’s as well.
Augmented Reality and Enhanced Visualization
One of the most striking features of the Block 20 is its commitment to augmented and mixed reality technologies. The system will incorporate larger display screens that provide pilots with more information and better situational awareness. But the real innovation lies in the Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) system with an advanced visor.
This visor will enable pilots to see virtual and constructive entities overlaid on their actual flight environment. Imagine flying a training mission where computer-generated threats, simulated aircraft, and real aircraft all appear seamlessly integrated in the pilot’s field of view. This capability bridges the gap between purely synthetic training and live flight operations, creating what industry experts are beginning to call a “mission enablement” environment rather than traditional simulation.
The implications are profound. Pilots can train against threats that don’t physically exist, practice tactics with virtual wingmen, and experience complex scenarios that would be prohibitively expensive or dangerous to create with real aircraft alone. The technology has already been implemented in ground-based simulators at IFTS, with the next step being integration into the actual flying aircraft.
Biometric Monitoring and Personalized Training
Perhaps one of the most innovative aspects of the Block 20 is the integration of biometric sensors throughout the aircraft. These sensors will monitor the pilot’s physical state during flight, collecting data on stress responses, fatigue levels, and other physiological indicators.
This data serves multiple purposes. In the immediate term, it provides instructors with unprecedented insight into how students are handling the demands of flight training. Are they maintaining composure during high-stress maneuvers? How quickly do they recover from demanding sequences? This information can help instructors identify students who may need additional support or different training approaches.
Looking further ahead, this physiological data feeds into the artificial intelligence systems that are becoming increasingly central to the Block 20 concept. By understanding patterns in how pilots respond to different scenarios, the system can help optimize training approaches and identify best practices that can be shared across the entire training community.
AI-Driven Adaptive Training
The Block 20’s artificial intelligence capabilities represent a significant evolution in training methodology. Leonardo’s approach leverages a unique advantage: the massive dataset generated by actual flight training operations at IFTS. With thousands of flight hours already accumulated, and hundreds of students having completed training, Leonardo and the Italian Air Force have access to rich information about what works and what doesn’t in pilot training.
The AI systems being developed analyze this data to identify patterns of success and failure. They can help instructors understand which students might be struggling before problems become critical, potentially reducing washout rates while maintaining high training standards. The system can suggest adjustments to training approaches, identify areas where individual students need additional focus, and help optimize the overall training syllabus.
Critically, Leonardo emphasizes that AI is not replacing human instructors. Rather, it’s empowering them. The goal is to provide instructors with better tools and more comprehensive information, enabling them to make more informed decisions about how to guide each student pilot toward success. The human element remains central; the technology simply amplifies the instructor’s capability.
The Embedded Tactical Training System
The Block 20’s Embedded Tactical Training System (ETTS) represents perhaps the most operationally significant advancement. This system transforms the M-346 into what one Leonardo executive described as a “flying video game,” but with deadly serious implications for combat readiness.
The ETTS allows the aircraft to simulate a wide range of sensors, weapons, and threats. Pilots can interact with simulated radar systems, practice employing weapons that aren’t physically present, and face threats generated by computer systems or controlled by instructors in real-time. But the Block 20 takes this concept significantly further.
The enhanced ETTS will support adjunct systems, essentially, drones with artificial intelligence that can be integrated into the training scenario. These systems will be linked to the tactical training environment and controlled by instructors flying as formation leaders. This means student pilots will be able to practice the kind of manned-unmanned teaming that is central to next-generation air combat concepts, including those being developed for sixth-generation fighter aircraft.
The significance of this capability cannot be overstated. Rather than waiting for sixth-generation aircraft to enter service before learning how to employ adjuncts and collaborative combat aircraft, pilots can begin building these skills during their initial flight training. This represents a fundamental shift in how the aviation community thinks about training progression and capability development.
Dynamic Training Environments
One of the most interesting aspects of the Block 20 system and indeed of the entire IFTS approach is the emphasis on dynamic rather than static training scenarios. Traditional flight training often relies on pre-programmed scenarios where students know what to expect. While useful for building basic skills, this approach has limitations when preparing pilots for the chaos and unpredictability of actual combat.
The Block 20 system enables truly dynamic scenarios where instructor pilots can actively modify the training environment in real-time. A student might launch a simulated missile at a threat, only to have an instructor controlling that threat defeat the missile and counterattack. Surface-to-air missile systems might move to unexpected locations. New threats might appear without warning.
This dynamic capability is enabled by the Real-Time Monitor station, where instructors can create computer-generated forces on the fly, adjusting the scenario based on student performance and training objectives. The result is an environment that much more closely approximates the uncertainty and adaptability required in actual combat operations.
Operational Integration and Feedback
A crucial element of the Block 20’s development is its grounding in operational reality. The system isn’t being designed in isolation by engineers imagining what pilots might need. Instead, it’s being informed by constant feedback from operational squadrons, particularly F-35 units.
Leonardo executives describe a continuous loop of information flowing from Operational Conversion Units back to the training system. When operational pilots discover new tactics, encounter unexpected challenges, or develop improved procedures, this information can be incorporated into the training syllabus. The flexibility of the Block 20 system means these updates can be implemented relatively quickly, ensuring that student pilots are learning the most current operational practices.
This responsiveness has already been demonstrated at IFTS. One student pilot interviewed described experiencing four or five major changes to the training syllabus during his nine-month course, all driven by operational feedback from the Italian Air Force. The ability to rapidly adapt training to reflect operational reality represents a significant competitive advantage and ensures that graduates are as prepared as possible for their operational assignments.
Coalition Building Through Training
An often-overlooked benefit of advanced training systems like the Block 20 is their role in building international partnerships and coalitions. IFTS already hosts student pilots from thirteen international air forces, with Croatia recently announced as the fourteenth partner. This diversity creates a unique training environment where pilots from different nations learn to work together from the earliest stages of their careers.
When these pilots eventually serve in operational squadrons, they bring with them an understanding of how their coalition partners think and operate. They’ve trained on the same systems, learned the same tactics, and built personal relationships that can prove invaluable during actual operations. The Block 20’s advanced capabilities will only enhance this coalition-building effect, as pilots from different nations learn together how to employ cutting-edge technologies and concepts.
Market Positioning and Competition
Leonardo’s investment in the Block 20 is also a response to competitive realities. The company sees a global market for approximately 2,000 student military pilots requiring training annually. While the United States represents about 25% of this market, Leonardo’s target market extends far beyond Europe and the Middle East, regions initially considered their primary focus.
The success of IFTS has exceeded even Leonardo’s optimistic projections. With 176 courses completed and aircraft sold to numerous international customers, the M-346 family has become a global standard for advanced flight training. However, Leonardo recognizes that competitors are not standing still. Programs in other countries are developing, and new technologies are emerging.
The Block 20 represents Leonardo’s determination to maintain and extend their technological lead. By incorporating fifth-generation capabilities now, supporting emerging operational concepts like manned-unmanned teaming, and leveraging AI and augmented reality, Leonardo aims to ensure that the M-346 remains the benchmark for advanced training well into the 2030s and beyond.
The Business Model Advantage
A critical element of Leonardo’s success and one that will support Block 20 implementation is the unique business model developed with the Italian Air Force. Unlike some international training programs that represent full outsourcing, the IFTS model maintains Italian Air Force accountability for all training decisions while Leonardo provides the infrastructure, aircraft hours, simulation, and civilian instructor pilots.
This partnership, formalized through a series of agreements beginning in 2018, creates what executives describe as a “win-win” situation. The Air Force retains control of curriculum development, instructor qualification, and training standards. Leonardo focuses on delivering capability, flying hours, simulation hours, instructor pilots, and facilities, through a pay-by-the-hour contract structure.
This model has proven attractive to international partners because it combines operational credibility (training directed by a respected air force with decades of experience) with industrial efficiency (service delivery by a motivated private sector partner). The Block 20 development continues this partnership approach, with Leonardo investing in technology development while the Air Force ensures that capabilities align with operational requirements.
Looking Forward
The Block 20 program represents more than just an aircraft upgrade. It embodies a philosophy about how military aviation training must evolve to keep pace with rapidly advancing operational requirements. By refusing to rest on current success, learning from the mistakes of other industries, and maintaining close partnerships with operational forces, Leonardo is positioning the M-346 family to remain relevant for decades to come.
The program’s emphasis on fifth-generation integration, augmented reality, biometric monitoring, AI-driven training optimization, and dynamic scenario generation reflects a sophisticated understanding of where military aviation is heading. Perhaps most importantly, the inclusion of adjunct system training prepares pilots for operational concepts that are still emerging, ensuring that today’s students will be ready for tomorrow’s challenges.
As one Leonardo executive noted when asked about the Block 20’s capabilities: “We are moving forward in something that is still in progress for the sixth generation aircraft, but we are trying to create a device, synthetic system, that will be able to support this type of training.” This forward-looking approach, combined with operational credibility and a proven track record, positions the Block 20 not just as an aircraft upgrade, but as a glimpse into the future of military flight training.
The question is no longer whether advanced training systems like Block 20 are necessary for the pace of technological change and operational evolution makes them essential. The question is which nations and air forces will recognize this reality soon enough to gain the advantage that comes from preparing pilots not just for today’s aircraft, but for tomorrow’s integrated, AI-enabled, manned-unmanned combat systems. Leonardo’s Block 20 offers one compelling answer to that question.
I have recently visited the Italian International Flight Training School on Sardinia.
This is the sixth of several articles based on my interviews and discussions while visiting the Sardinia base in October 2025.
The AI generated image highlights the international engagement at IFTS, and the integration of the LVC ecosystem with the M-346 live aircraft. The level of integration is quite remarkable.