First Israeli M-346 Lavi rolled out

Alenia Aemacchi has rolled out the first M-346 advanced trainer for Israel.
Dating from a July 2012 order, the company will supply 30 of the aircraft to the nation’s air force to replace its fleet of aged 60 Douglas A/TA-4 Skyhawks.
Delivery of the first two M-346s "Lavi" in Israeli service, is scheduled for summer 2014, with a further seven aircraft to be handed over this year, 18 in 2015 and the remainder in 2016.
flightglobal

Assembly begins of first Israeli M-346 Lavi

Alenia Aermacchi has begun assembling the first M-346 advanced jet trainer destined for Israel at its Venegono factory.
The first three major fuselage components of the trainer - to be known as Lavi in Israeli service - have been joined together.
Delivery of the Honeywell F124-GA-200-powered type to the Israeli air force is scheduled for mid-2014.
The service has 30 M-346 Lavis on order to replace its fleet of aged Douglas TA-4 Skyhawks.

flightglobal

Pakistan Deal for Chinese J-10 Fighters Uncertain

Tough International Monetary Fund conditions on Pakistan and concerns about untested technology likely will delay Islamabad’s plan to buy 36 J-10B Vigorous Dragon from China.
Under IMF loan terms, the government faces harsh conditions on raising revenue and controlling spending, including on military equipment.
A Chinese defense delegation visited Pakistan the last week of September to discuss the status of stalled defense deals. Whether this included the J-10 order is unclear.
The J-10B Super-10 is an advanced variant of the J-10A, first fielded in late 2003 with China’s Air Force. The new Super-10 will reportedly be powered by the Chinese-designed WS-10A turbofan engine, which will replace the J-10A’s Russian Saturn AL-31FN. Built by Chengdu Aircraft Industries, the jet is based on Israel’s Lavi indigenous fighter program by Israel Aerospace Industries that was canceled in 1987.
defensenews

Israel's Lavi reborn as renamed M-346

The Israeli air force is to name its Alenia Aermacchi M-346 advanced jet trainer the 'Lavi', re-using the name previously carried by the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) fighter developed in the 1980s and scrapped because of heavy US opposition.
The first of 30 M-346s is due to be delivered to Israel in 2014.
Currently Israeli fighter pilots undergo the advanced stage of their flight course using the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and Lockheed Martin F-16A/B. Following the introduction of the new type, students will instead fly the M-346 Lavi, which will be operated by the "Flying Dragon" squadron at the air force academy at Hazerim air base.
The new Lavi will also carry some Israeli systems that will make it more "responsive" to the operational needs of the service.
IAI was forced to pull the plug on developing the Lavi fighter in 1987, after having flown two prototypes of the fourth-generation design.
flightglobal