Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia


General information
Type	Advanced trainer aircraft
Manufacturer	Pilatus Aircraft
Designer	Pilatus Aircraft
Status	Active service
Primary users	Swiss Air Force Spanish Air and Space Force Royal Saudi Air Force Royal Australian Air Force
Number built	211
History
Manufactured	2002–present
Introduction date	April 2008
First flight	1 July 2002

The Pilatus PC-21 is a turboprop-powered advanced trainer with a stepped tandem cockpit. It is manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. Development In November 1997 Pilatus flew a modified PC-7 Mk.II in order to test improvements for a prospective next generation turboprop trainer. As a result of these tests, Pilatus elected to fund the development of a new training system in November 1998; development of the new trainer, designated as the PC-21, formally started in January 1999. The PC-21 would be developed and certified as a completely new training system, aimed at meeting future military customers' specifications in terms of capability and life-cycle costs for the next three decades

Design

The Pilatus PC-21 is an advanced single-engine trainer aircraft; it is often referred to by Pilatus as being the "Twenty-first Century Trainer".The type can be applied for various training capacities, including basic flying training, advanced flight training, full mission management training, and embedded simulation/emulation. In order to perform these functions, the aircraft possesses a powerful, flexible, and cost-effective integrated training system; providing sufficient ease of use for inexperienced pilots while posing greater challenge to advanced pilots. According to Pilatus, upon product launch, the PC-21 possessed "superior aerodynamic performance when compared with any other turboprop trainer on the market"

Operational history

In the Armament Program 2006, the Swiss Parliament approved an initial purchase of the PC-21 for the Swiss Air Force. By April 2008, four PC-21 have been accepted by the Swiss Air Force following the passing of acceptance trials, and flight operations were set to start in July that year. In December 2010, the Swiss Air Force placed an order for another two aircraft

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.
Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Pilatus PC-21 advanced Trainer

General Info

Crew: 2
Length: 11.233 m (36 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 9.108 m (29 ft 11 in)
Height: 3.74 m (12 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 15.221 m² (163.84 sq ft)
Empty weight: 2,270 kg (5,004 lb))

Powerplant

Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68B turboprop engine, (1,600 hp) Propellers: 5-bladed constant-speed propeller, 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) diameter

Performance

Maximum speed: 685 km/h
Stall speed: 170 km/h (110 mph, 92 kn) gear and flaps up (20 km/h (12 mph; 11 kn) less with flaps and gear down)
Range: 1,333 km
Service ceiling: 11,580 m
g limits: +8.0 –4.0 aerobatic / +5.0 to –2.5 utility

Aircraft of comparable role

Hardpoints: Provisions provided for 4× under-wing and 1× centerline external store stations, capable of mounting up to 1,150 kg (2,540 lb) of payload of air-to-ground weapons to operate in the counter-insurgency role.

Special Links Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Pilatus PC-21 advanced Trainer

Links to Youtube & Others

The PC-21 was one of the submissions for the Royal Australian Air Force's project AIR 5428, which sought a replacement of its Pilatus PC-9s;

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Pilatus PC-21 Trainer

In January 2017, Pilatus received a contract for 17 PC-21s by the French Department of Defense

Youtube Link

French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace): 17 ordered January 2017

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.
Pilatus PC-21
advanced Trainer
Manufactured 2002–present
First flight 1 July 2002

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. PC-21 advanced Trainer