What name was considered for the M.B.326K before it kept its own designation?

The M.B.326K was originally known as the MB-336. It was the latest-generation model in the family, fitted with the Viper Mk 600 engine, capable of 1,814 kg of thrust, which gave it even better performance. The M.B.326's design had come from a team led by the Italian aeronautical engineer Ermanno Bazzocchi, the company's technical director and chief engineer. The family's first prototype made its maiden flight on 10 December 1957, flown by Macchi's chief test pilot, Guido Carestiato.

The new model's first flight took place on 22 August 1970. The two prototypes were I-AMKK and I-KMAK, obtained by converting an MB-326G.

South Africa obtained manufacturing rights under licence for the MB-326M as the Impala Mk I from 1966. Atlas Aircraft Corporation locally produced around 125 aircraft and, later, around 78 examples of the single-seat MB-326K variant, designated Impala Mk II, licensed production of which began in 1974. The single-seat ground-attack version was also built for Tunisia (seven MB-326KT), Ghana (four MB-326KG) and Zaire (six MB-326KB).