Pilatus begins PC-21 aircraft deliveries to Royal Saudi Air Force

[Yzd Khalifa]

Pilatus begins PC-21 aircraft deliveries to Royal Saudi Air Force
12 June 2014
Email

The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) will soon take delivery of the PC-21 expanded envelope trainer aircraft under contract from Pilatus Aircraft.

Carrying the registration numbers 905, 906 and 907, the first three aircraft departed the company's facility in Stans, Switzerland, on 02 June, reported Flightglobal.

The second batch of 908, 909 and 910 numbered turboprop-powered type aircraft also left the site for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the following week.

Saudi Arabia ordered 55 PC-21 aircraft along with an integrated ground based training system and a comprehensive logistics support package from BAE Systems in May 2012.

The deal also covered the delivery of 22 BAE Hawk 165 advanced jet trainers, which are expected to be used by RSAF to train pilots to fly Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft.

Selected after a comprehensive evaluation both in Stans, and under hot weather conditions in Riyadh, the PC-21 is expected to provide basic flying training to pilots, and replace RSAF's existing PC-9 trainer fleet.

"The PC-21 is expected to provide basic flying training to pilots, and replace RSAF's existing PC-9 trainer fleet."
Approximately 47 PC-9s were delivered by BAE as part of a package deal with Hawks to Saudi Arabia in the mid-1980s, according to Flightglobal's MiliCAS database.

Powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-68B turboprop engine, the PC-21 is a low-wing swept monoplane advanced trainer aircraft designed to fulfil the requirements for basic, advanced and fighter lead-in training for pilots and, if required, weapon systems officers (WSO).

The aircraft features a fully digital glass cockpit with head-up displays, an up-front control panel (UFPC), a hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) control, and full sized multi-function displays.

The aircraft has also been ordered by the air forces of Qatar, Singapore, Switzerland and the UAE.

Image: A Pilatus PC-21 turboprop trainer aircraft at the Royal International Air Tattoo, Fairford, Gloucestershire, UK. Photo: courtesy of Arpingstone.

 

[Indus Falcon]

 

[Sinnerman108]

This is a very welcome development.
I always believed that prop ac have not seen their ultimate glory yet.

Now, I have to find time to write my thesis regarding these beauties.

Good Luck Saudi Arabia, and please post some details of AC deployments and local upgrades if any.

 

[Indus Falcon]

The NextGen Trainer
PC-21

To train the next generation of military pilots, Pilatus developed the next generation trainer: the Pilatus PC-21, especially designed and built with students in mind.

With air force budgets getting tighter, the all-new PC-21 provides a low-cost but highly effective training platform for pilots destined to fly jet fighters, without actually requiring them to fly jets until much later in the program. To do this, Pilatus expanded the design and performance envelope to take this single engine turboprop into an area that was previously the domain of jet aircraft.

The PC-21 far surpasses all other turboprop trainers in terms of aerodynamic performance, cockpit equipment, flexibility and ease of maintenance. The use of state-of-the-art technologies increases both the efficiency and quality of training. Training hours flown in expensive jets can now be done entirely in the PC-21, which saves a substantial amount of life-cycle cost. Other PC-21 attributes include significantly lower fuel consumption and noise emissions.



Training Roles

• Basic Flying Training
• Advanced Flying Training
• Full Mission Management Training
• Embedded Simulation and Emulation

Customers

• Swiss Air Force (8 aircraft)
• Republic of Singapore Air Force (19 aircraft)
• United Arab Emirates Air Force & Air Defence (25 aircraft)
• Royal Saudi Air Force (55 aircraft)
  
• Qatar Emiri Air Force (24 aircraft)

Cockpit
A Cockpit for Maximum Training Value
Systems integration is at the core of the PC-21 cockpit design philosophy. As an advanced aircraft, the cockpit display and control system are configured closely to the concept of the latest generation front-line aircraft which are characterised by a greatly increased pilot workload.

Trainee pilots are exposed to a realistic cockpit environment at the earliest stages of their training. This capability enables them to acquire skills that are of direct relevance to the front-line aircraft type that they will ultimately fly.

Equipped with zero/zero ejection seats, a pressurised tandem cockpit, air-conditioning, an anti-g system and On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS), the PC-21 provides a comfortable, safe training environment.

Embedded Simulation and Training

The PC-21 not only provides the student with the appropriate tools to learn and develop relevant skills but also the perfect airborne “classroom” for the instructor.

The embedded simulation and training suite provides:

• Cross-platform cockpit emulation
• Weapons simulation

• Stores management system
• Simulated radar and electronic warfare (EW)
• Tactical situational display
• Data link (between similarly equipped aircraft)

The cockpit avionics can be “split”so that the instructor can manipulate the student’s display data. This provides the following capabilities:

• Simulated of non-flight safety critical system failures
• Controlled degradation of student data
• Generation of synthetic air-to-air radar target
• Generation of synthetic EW

Aircraft Data
Utilising the 1600 shp PT6A-68B engine from Pratt & Whitney Canada , the PC-21 pushes the speed and climb rate of the turboprop into an area that, until now, was exclusively jet territory. The engine is coupled to a five-blade Scimitar graphite propeller made by Hartzell.

A digital power management system and automatic yaw compensation make the PC-21 easy to fly at low speed and in the circuit, while providing the performance required for advanced training.

The PC-21 is capable of sustained low-level speeds in excess of 323 knots (598 km/h); hydraulically-assisted ailerons and roll spoilers produce fighter-like rates of roll in excess of 200° per second.

Performance
The PC-21 performs as follows under international standard atmospheric (ISA) conditions:

Take-off distance over 50 ft (15 m) obstacle at sea level 2,379 ft / 725 m
Landing distance over 50 ft (15 m) obstacle at sea level 2,953 ft / 900 m
Max. rate of climb, sea level 4,250 ft/min / 21.59 m/sec
Max. operating speed (Vmo) 370 KEAS 685 km/h
Max. horizontal speed (Vh) at sea level 323 KTAS /598 km/h
Max. horizontal speed (Vh) at 10,000 ft 337 KTAS /624 km/h
Stall speed
- flaps and gear up (Vs) 92 KCAS / 170 km/h
- flaps and gear down (VSO) 81 KCAS / 150 km/h


G loads aerobatic category utility category
- Max. positive 8.0 g 5.0 g
- Max. negative - 4.0 g -2.5 g

Max. range 720 nm 1,333 km

Weights

Basic empty weight (typical, dep. on configuration) 5,026 lb 2,280 kg
Max. take-off weight, acrobatic category 6,834 lb 3,100 kg

Dimensions & Geometry

Fuselage length 36 ft 11 in 11.233 m
Wing span 29 ft 11 in 9.108 m

Welcome to Pilatus Aircraft Ltd