1/4 SCALE RC AERMACCHI MB 339 MILITARY JET TRAINER - JETCAT 180RX TURBINE - SOUTHERN HEADCORN - 2022

PILOT / OWNER - BILLY EVANS,

Airworld 1/4 scale MB 339 ,
2.8m wing span ,
3m fuzz ,
savox 1270tg servos all round ,
Jeti CB400 2x Rsat ,
jetcat 180RX turbine ,
CM jets custom fuel and smoke tank ,
Intarco UAT , Intarco metal 1” servo arms all round .
Built and painted by Matt bishop at bishop aviation
28 KG with fuel,
Jeti DS24 TX,
Unilights lighting kit,

The Aermacchi MB-339 is a military jet trainer and light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Italian aviation company Aermacchi. The MB-339 was developed during the 1970s in response to an Italian Air Force requirement that sought a replacement for the service's existing fleet of Aermacchi MB-326s.

Top speed: 898 km/h
Range: 1,760 km
Produced: 1978–TBD
Introduction: 1979
Number built: 230
Primary users: Italian Air Force; Royal Malaysian Air Force; Eritrean Air Force; United Arab Emirates Air Force
Unit cost: 8,300,000–8,300,000 USD

Its design was derived from that of the MB-326, rather than a new design, and thus the two aircraft share considerable similarities in terms of their design. Aermacchi had found that the MB-339 was capable of satisfying all of the specified requirements while being the most affordable option available. The maiden flight of the MB-339 took place on 12 August 1976; the first production aircraft were delivered two years later.

Roughly half of all MB-339s entered service with the Italian Air Force, while the remainder have been sold to various export customers. As well as being used for training, the type is also flown by the Frecce Tricolori aerobatic display team. The type has been used in combat by both the Eritrean Air Force during the Eritrean–Ethiopian War of 1998–2000 and the Argentine Naval Aviation during the Falklands War of 1982. In both conflicts, the MB-339 was typically flown as an attack aircraft. In Italian service, the aircraft is intended to be replaced by the newer Aermacchi M-345.

Combat use in Argentina

The Argentine Naval Aviation (Comando de Aviación Naval or COAN) was the first foreign user of the forerunner MB-326GB, purchasing a batch of eight aircraft during 1969.

During 1980, the COAN ordered ten MB-339As advanced trainer and light attack aircraft. These were delivered in 1981 and were operated by the III Escuadra Naval's 1 Escuadrilla de Ataque. During the Falklands War, late in April 1982, six of them were located at Port Stanley Airport, renamed Base Aérea Militar (BAM) Malvinas.

They were the only attack jets to operate from the Falklands, along with four Beech T-34 Turbo-Mentor light attack and trainer aircraft, and twenty-four turboprop FMA IA 58 Pucará light attack aircraft of Grupo 3 de Ataque. Other Aermacchis were operated from three mainland bases, these being Almirante Zar, Bahía Blanca, and Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego naval air stations.

On 3 May 1982, Lieutenant Benitez crashed into high ground while approaching the airport at Port Stanley, and was killed. On 21 May an MB-339A flown by Lieutenant Owen Crippa on a routine reconnaissance flight attacked the Royal Navy amphibious force. The Aermacchi hit the frigate HMS Argonaut, causing light damage. On 27 May, an MB-339A (4-A-114) was shot down by a Blowpipe missile during the Battle for Goose Green, while attempting to attack British ships and landed troops. The pilot, Lieutenant Miguel, was killed.Three MB-339 airframes were captured by the British, with one of these preserved at the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum, Doncaster.

FILMED AT THE HEADCORN SOUTHERN RC MODEL AIRCRAFT SHOW AT HEADCORN AERODROME NEAR HEADCORN IN KENT,
TN27 9HX,
ON - 3 - 4 - SEPT - 2022,