Leonardo and its Indonesian partner PT ESystem Solutions have signed a contract with Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence for 12 M-346F “Block 20” light combat aircraft, in a deal announced at the Farnborough International Airshow on 21 July.
The contract follows a letter of intent signed in February and is worth close to one billion euros, with the first aircraft due to be delivered from 2030.¹
The purchase makes Indonesia the 23rd operator of the M-346 and the first customer in Asia to take the Block 20 standard, after users in Europe and North America.³
The M-346 is a twin-engine advanced jet trainer, and the F, or fighter, variant carries radar and weapons so that it can double as a light combat aircraft.³
The Block 20 configuration introduces a Large Area Display cockpit, an active electronically scanned array radar, a Link 16 data link and electronic countermeasures.²
Those additions move the type beyond a pure training role and let it perform networked air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.²
The radar is Leonardo’s ITAR-free Grifo E600, which gives buyers a sensor free of United States export restrictions.³
For Indonesia, the choice yields a fighter more capable than its older F-16 Block 52 aircraft fitted with the APG-68.³
PT ESystem Solutions is also to take part in flight testing and qualification of the Grifo E600 using its own flight test bed, deepening Indonesia’s industrial role in the program.³
In service, the aircraft will handle lead-in fighter training along with light combat and tactical duties, replacing surviving BAE Systems Hawk Mk 109/209 trainers that Indonesia received in the 1990s.³
The Block 20 reaches Asia only eight months after the standard’s first order, a pace Leonardo has pointed to as evidence of rising global demand.³
The M-346 already trains pilots for a range of air forces, including at Italy’s International Flight Training School, and the type was chosen by the Italian Air Force for its Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team.⁴
The contract also carries the localization of support, maintenance, overhaul and training inside Indonesia, together with human capital development.²
Leonardo chief executive Lorenzo Mariani said the deal reflected Indonesia’s “continued and yet growing trust in our capabilities across domains”, adding that the company is “here to stay” and intends to expand its contribution in the country.
On the same day, Leonardo, PT ESystem and the Indonesian Ministry of Defence signed a letter of intent for AW149 naval helicopters for the Indonesian Navy, to be used for search and rescue and disaster relief and to build local technical assistance, maintenance and training.
The purchase forms part of a wider Indonesian effort to modernize its air arm, which has drawn on advanced fighters and trainers from several suppliers.⁵
With deliveries due from 2030, Leonardo expects the program to strengthen its position in the Asia-Pacific defence market as the Block 20 becomes the reference standard for the M-346 family.⁴
Notes
- “Leonardo’s New Boss Backs Michelangelo Dome, LEO Constellation,” Aviation Week, July 21, 2026.
- “Indonesia Signs Contract for Leonardo M-346 Fighter Trainer Aircraft,” Newsy Today, July 21, 2026.
- “ILA 2026 – Indonesia M-346F Contract to Be Signed in July,” EDR Magazine, June 2026.
- “Indonesia Orders 12 Leonardo M-346F Block 20 Aircraft, Expanding the Global Reach of Italy’s Advanced Light Fighter,” Itamilradar, July 21, 2026.
- “Indonesia Orders 12 M-346 Block 20 Light Combat Aircraft from Italy’s Leonardo,” IRIA News, July 22, 2026.
