Canada begins talks with Italy on buying advanced trainer jets

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Jun, 2026 09:47 AM

Canada and Italy have entered talks for Canada’s purchase of M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft.

The announcement was made after a meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains.

The jets are designed and produced by Leonardo, one of Italy’s largest aerospace companies.

It’s unclear how many jets Canada is looking to purchase.

The leaders say the agreement will enable the Royal Canadian Air Force to train in “state-of-the-art" equipment and build sovereign training capability.

Earlier this year, the International Test Pilots School of Canada ordered six Italian-made M-346 fighter jets for a new NATO training centre in North Bay.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

'Not what they're saying': Carney rejects suggestion U.S. may exit trade pact

Prime Minister Mark Carney is pushing back on the suggestion that the U.S. may be considering pulling out of North America's trilateral free-trade pact.

'Not what they're saying': Carney rejects suggestion U.S. may exit trade pact

Virtual emergency care launching at four hospitals in B.C.'s Interior

Patients seeking emergency care at four hospitals in British Columbia's Interior may now be seen by a doctor working virtually in a pilot project aimed at modernizing rural health services.

Virtual emergency care launching at four hospitals in B.C.'s Interior

Inside the Ring of Fire: A tale of two First Nations and a road that could change everything

First Nation elders understood the south would march north eventually. They knew it would come in waves, sometimes slow, sometimes fast. Those ancestors told their kids, who told theirs, and so on until today.

Inside the Ring of Fire: A tale of two First Nations and a road that could change everything

Half of Canadians support a new pipeline between Alberta and B.C.: poll

Half of Canadians are in favour of building a new bitumen pipeline between Alberta and B.C., while fewer than one in five outright oppose it, a new poll suggests.

Half of Canadians support a new pipeline between Alberta and B.C.: poll

Bank of Canada leaves key interest rate unchanged at 2.25%

The Bank of Canada left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday as it signalled the 2.25 per cent level is about right to balance keeping inflation in check with helping the economy grow.

Bank of Canada leaves key interest rate unchanged at 2.25%

PM says new envoy to U.S. will have window to prepare for next phase of trade talks

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada's next ambassador to Washington will have a window to prepare for the next phase of trade relations with the United States.