According to Forecast International, Aermacchi had at one point considered making provisions for the installation of an additional two pod-mounted 30mm cannon. Operational history General use The Italian Air Force is the largest operator of the MB-339. The service, which received its first examples during 1978, has procured multiple batches and models of the type over the years; for several decades, it has been flown as its principal trainer aircraft. In addition to its use as a general trainer, the MB-339 is also flown by the Frecce Tricolori aerobatic display team; during 1988, three aircraft were lost during a tragic air display accident in Germany. In October 2013, it was announced that the Italian Air Force intended to replace its MB-339s with newly built M-345s in the long term. The M-345 is intended to replace Italian Air Force MB-339s as a basic trainer, and with the Frecce Tricolori. Many of its operators, such as the Royal New Zealand Air Force, chose to procure the type during the 1980s and 1990s as a replacement for various aging jet-powered attack aircraft, such as the British-built BAC Strikemaster. Although uncommon amongst most export customers, some operators, such as the United Arab Emirates, have chosen to have several aircraft furnished for aerobatic displays. Emirates aerobatics display team, Al Fursan, operates 7 MB-339A of which 6 were modified to MB-339NAT since 2010. According to a report by Forecast International published in 2014, the later-built MB-339CD model has remained viable as a training platform for various newer fighter aircraft, such as the Panavia Tornado and the Eurofighter Typhoon; however, the type's appeal is waning and shall largely be confined after the 2010s to those nations with weaker economies or facing little military pressure. Combat use Argentina The Argentine Naval Aviation ( 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 Navals 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