The Aermacchi M-346 Advanced Jet Trainer Comes to Microsoft Flight Simulator
Famed developer IndiaFoxtEcho brings new advanced military training aircraft to Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator continues to expand its in-simulator Marketplace with the introduction of the Aermacchi M-346, a military twin-engine advanced jet trainer. The aircraft, featuring a tandem cockpit, is currently operated by the air forces of Italy, Israel, Singapore, Poland, and Qatar and next year will be in service with the Hellenic Air Force.
The M-346 contains detailed external and virtual cockpit models, with high resolution textures and PBR effects. There are numerous high detail texture sets, based on real aircraft, for the Italian Air Force, the Polish Air Force, the Singapore Air Force, the Israeli Air Force, and the International Flight Training School. Users will enjoy the realistic HUD, MFD and UFCP aircraft interface and detailed procedures that are based on a real-world flight manual. Finally, the flight model with realistic performance and handling based on publicly available data brings the aircraft to life in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The M-346 has a distinctive appearance featuring a delta-shaped wing, a large, bulbous canopy, and a steeply swept vertical stabilizer. Powered by two Honeywell turbofan engines that deliver a total of 12,600 pounds of thrust, the M-346 boasts a max level speed of 680 miles per hour (limit speed Mach 1.15), a climb rate of 22,000 feet per minute, and a range of more than 1,000 miles. The aircraft also features a modern digital flight control system similar to those in the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and Eurofighter Typhoon.
One of the most advanced military training aircraft ever created, this Aermacchi is a feast for pilots starving for a top performing aircraft. Not just fast and high flying, the M-346 proves itself to be nimble and intensely reactive to control inputs at any altitude. Its carefully engineered, state-of-the art design allows for incredibly precise high-end maneuvering, including multi-point rolls, loops, low-level inverted flight, and more. The Aermacchi M-346 allows aviators to not only push their performance boundaries, but also to set new ones never before imagined.
The M-346 is available now in the Microsoft Flight Simulator in-game marketplace for $24.99. The sky is calling!
Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows, and Steam, and on Xbox One and supported mobile phones, tablets, and lower-spec PCs via Xbox Cloud Gaming. For the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on Twitter.
Editor’s Note (October 18, 2022): Several revisions and edits have been made to the original post to correct the name of the aircraft and its features.
Microsoft Flight Simulator: Standard Game of the Year Edition
The Microsoft Flight Simulator Game of the Year (GOTY) Standard Edition celebrates all the positive feedback, reviews and awards garnered, but it is also a “Thank You” to our fans – new and old – that have made Microsoft Flight Simulator such a phenomenon. The Microsoft Flight Simulator Standard Game of the Year Edition includes 25 highly detailed planes with unique flight models and 38 hand-crafted airports.
This enhanced edition introduces simmers to five all-new aircraft, eight new handcrafted airports, six new Discovery Flights, new tutorials, and updates to the weather system
The five new handcrafted aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator include:
• Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet: Our first military jet and a highly requested feature from the community. The Top Gun: Maverick expansion will release with the movie next Spring, but we wanted simmers to have the opportunity to test their need for speed this holiday.
• VoloCity: We partnered with well-known German company Volocopter, which is working on an eVTOL called “VoloCity”, a vision for an urban air taxi. We worked closely with the Volocopter engineering team to develop an authentic version of the prototype aircraft for the simulator. This is our first aircraft that can perform pinpoint landings and is a teaser of what you can look forward to in 2022 when we intend to launch helicopters in the sim.
• Pilatus PC-6 Porter: This legendary short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility aircraft is a highly versatile plane from Switzerland and comes with several cockpits, cabins, and landing gear variations. It is the result of our close collaboration with the manufacturer and the development efforts by famed developers Hans Hartmann and Alexander Metzger resulted in a great and fun new aircraft with exception capabilities in the simulator.
• CubCrafters NX Cub: Yakima-based CubCrafters recently introduced a nosewheel option for their flagship CC-19 XCub Aircraft, popularly called the NX Cub, which we are pleased to introduce to the flight sim audience to further enhance our bush flying and off airport options.
• Aviat Pitts Special S1S: One of our most popular planes gets a single-seat option with the release of this aircraft.
New Airports – We are adding eight handcrafted airports in Central Europe and the United States:
• Germany
o Leipzig/Halle Airport (EDDP)
o Allgäu Airport Memmingen (EDJA)
o Kassel Airport (EDVK)
•Switzerland
o Lugano Airport (LSZA)
o Zurich Airport (LSZH)
o Luzern-Beromunster Airport (LSZO)
•United States
o Patrick Space Force Base (KCOF)
o Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (KNKX)
The Game of the Year release is adding information about 545 previously missing airports in the United States.
New Missions -Based on the popularity of the recently introduced Discovery Flights, we are adding an additional six locations (Helsinki, Freiburg im Breisgau, Mecca, Monument Valley, Singapore, and Mount Cook) to this popular series.
New Tutorials – To further expand the onboarding experience, we are adding 14 new tutorials, introducing simmers to Bush flying (in an Icon A5) and IFR (in a Cessna 172).
New Features – We are also pleased to introduce several highly requested features by the community: an updated weather system, early access to DX12, and a dev mode replay system.
New Photogrammetry Cities – As part of our ongoing collaboration with Bing Maps, we are pleased to add a number of new photogrammetry cities: Helsinki (Finland), Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), Brighton, Derby, Eastbourne, Newcastle, and Nottingham (UK) and Utrecht (Netherlands).
Microsoft Flight Simulator Standard Game of the Year Edition will be available as a free update for owners on PC and Xbox Series X|S. For new users, the GOTY Standard Edition is the perfect entry point to flight simming as it offers an even richer experience, and it will be the item they purchase as we are retiring the original. Invite your friends to experience the wonders of flight. The sky is calling!
