Aviation News – The U.S. Air Force has begun training a select group of ten American student pilots at Italy’s International Flight Training School, marking a new multinational effort to streamline and modernize pilot production. The initiative, conducted at Decimomannu Air Base, brings together the U.S. and Italian air forces to test a Small Group Tryout program aimed at evaluating new pathways for undergraduate pilot training.

The YAK-130M is a direct competitor to Leonardo’s T-346A combat trainer with which it shares design DNA.