Thailand receives first Two T-6C turboprop trainers

Thailand has taken delivery of its first Textron Aviation T-6C Texan II turboprop trainers, with the Southeast Asian nation planning to use them for training and as light-armed aircraft.

Two T-6Cs arrived at the Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF base Kamphaeng Saen northeast of the Thai capital Bangkok, with a welcoming ceremony. Thailand ordered 12 T-6Cs under a $162 million contract in 2020. They’ll replace Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainers that equip one of three squadrons with the RTAF’s flying training school at Kamphaeng Saen.

Mike Yeo- defensenews

 

US cleared to complete T-6C sale to Argentina

A 30-day Congressional notification period has closed on a proposed sale of 24 Beechcraft T-6C Texan trainers to the Argentine air force, clearing the way for the US government and industry officials to complete negotiations on the estimated $300 million deal.
Coming only two months after the final delivery to the US Navy under the 20-year-old Joint Primary Aircraft Training Systems (JPATS) programme, the proposed T-6 sale to Buenos Aires offers a timely lifeline to the T-6C production line in Wichita, Kansas.
“We look forward to continuing our conversations with Argentina to offer the Beechcraft T-6C military trainer,” Beechcraft says.
By late June, Beechcraft had delivered more than 400 T-6 Texan IIs to the US Air Force and nearly 300 to the Navy, replacing an aging fleet of Cessna T-37s and Beechcraft T-34s. The company also has received a recent order from the UK Ministry of Defence to supply T-6 trainers for replacing Embraer Tucanos.
flightglobal

USA DSCA APPROVES T-6C DEAL FOR ARGENTINA

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $300 million foreign military sale to Argentina for T-6C Texan aircraft.
Buenos Aires requested 24 of the trainer aircraft, as well as spare engines, initial spare parts, support equipment, communications equipment, studies and surveys, contract logistics support and technical services, aircraft technical publications, aircraft ferry and support, life support equipment, initial maintenance training, initial pilot training, follow-on training, alternate mission equipment, Air Force Material Command services and travel, unclassified minor modifications and engineering change proposals, ground-based training system, operational flight trainer and operational flight trainer spare parts.
upi

UK Signs Major Deal for Military Aircraft, Training

A key part of a contractor-managed program to train future British military aircrew has finally fallen into place with the signing of a deal for a KBR-Elbit Systems joint venture to provide and support three new fixed-wing aircraft fleets as part of the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS).
The private finance initiative (PFI) signed with Ascent, the Lockheed Martin-Babcock joint venture, which runs the UKMFTS program, will see Affinity Flying Training Services procure, operate and maintain 10 Beechcraft Texan T-6C aircraft, and 23 Grob G120TP Prefect turboprops along with five Embraer Phenom 100 jets to train Royal Air Force and Royal Navy air crew. The deal runs until 2033.
defensenews

All USAF T-6As returned to flight

The Air Force's T-6 Texan II fleet was expected to resume flying following a five-day standdown.
Air Education and Training Command ordered all of its T-6s to stand down April 10 after indications of an engine oil line malfunction. The T-6A special program office conducted a fleetwide inspection, which was finalized April 14. All T-6As passed inspection and were cleared for flight.
As a result of the inspection, T-6A maintainers were given clearer specifications for the installation of lines and on allowable wear before replacement.
AETC flies 446 of the turboprop aircraft as entry-level pilot training. The aircraft are largely flown at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma; and Laughlin Air Force Base and Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.
Student pilots, during the standdown, focused on academic work and simulator training. No more training delays are expected.
The Navy and Marine Corps also use the T-6 for entry-level pilot training. The Navy monitored the Air Force's inspection, but did not ground the plane.
airforcetimes

Mexico selects Grob trainer

The Mexican Air Force (FAM) has selected the Grob Aircraft G120TP twin-seat turboprop as its new elementary trainer.
A deal worth USD110 million for 25 G120TPs, along with a flight simulator and logistics support plus options on a further 15, was first reported by local media on 21 July.
The contract has yet to be signed, but is imminent. The FAM expects that an initial batch of G120TP is to be delivered by February 2015, when the service celebrates its 100th anniversary.
The selection is part of a major overhaul of Mexico's Military Education System contained in the 2013-18 National Defense Programme, which also includes the T-6C Texan II advanced trainer and emphasises on the use of flight simulators.
janes

First Royal New Zealand Air Force Beechcraft T-6C Takes Flight

The first RNZAF Beechcraft T-6C advanced trainer has made its first flight from Beechcraft’s Wichita facility in Kansas on June 10.
The aircraft – NZ1401 – made the flight with a Beechcraft company crew at the controls and lasted two hours, and functionality checks such as flight performance and handling characteristics were conducted. It will carry the US civil registration of N2824B while the initial flight test program is completed.
New Zealand ordered 11 T-6Cs in January to replace CT-4E trainers in the basic course, and elements of the advanced course currently conducted by the King Air. The first six RNZAF Qualified Flying Instructors (QFIs) are due to commence their conversion to the T-6C in August, and the first four aircraft will be delivered by the end of this year.
The aircraft will be based at Ohakea, and will commence pilot training in mid-2015 by which time all 11 aircraft will have been delivered.
defense-studies

Iraq to buy 24 AT-6C Texan II

The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale of 24 AT-6C Texan II Aircraft, 2 spare PT-6A-68 Turboprop engines, 2 spare ALE-47 Counter-Measure Dispensing Systems and/or 2 spare AAR-47 Missile Launch Detection Systems, non-SAASM global positioning systems with CMA-4124, spare and repair parts, maintenance, support equipment, tanker support, ferry services, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support.
The principal contractors will be Beechcraft and Lockheed Martin.
The proposed sale will involve multiple trips to Iraq involving many U.S. government and contractor representatives over a period of 15 years for program management, program and technical reviews, training, maintenance support, and site surveys.
dsca

Mexican navy orders two Beechcraft T-6 trainers

Mexico is expanding its fleet of Beechcraft T-6C Texan trainers with a new order for two aircraft by the nation's navy.
The aircraft, designated T-6C+ models, will be delivered this summer.
Beechcraft, is also working on a contract to provide two years of parts support, pilot and mechanic training and field support to the Mexican navy.
The Mexican air force already has six T-6s, and has placed an order for an additional six aircraft.
The announcement comes two months after news broke that New Zealand will buy 11 T-6Cs.
flightglobal

Iraq requests Apache helicopter purchase

Iraq’s continuing military transformation could be advanced further, through a potentially $4.8 billion deal for 24 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.
“This proposed sale supports the strategic interests of the United States by providing Iraq with a critical capability to protect itself from terrorist and conventional threats, to enhance the protection of key oil infrastructure and platforms, and to reinforce Iraqi sovereignty,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency says. Its message to Congress was disclosed in a notification published on 27 January.
Expected roles for an Iraqi Apache fleet would include flying close-air support and armed reconnaissance and anti-tank warfare missions. Baghdad’s request includes 12 Northrop Grumman APG-78 Longbow fire control radars and 480 Lockheed Martin AGM-114R Hellfire air-to-surface missiles.
An Apache acquisition would come on top of the Iraqi army’s previous purchase of the Mil Mi-28 from Russia. Baghdad has signed a firm order for 12 of the type, and has previously shown interest in acquiring a further 28.
Iraq’s defence spending in the post-Saddam Hussein era has included numerous foreign military sales deals with the USA. These have included orders for Lockheed-built F-16C/D and IQ-model fighters and C-130J tactical transports, Beechcraft King Air 350 transport and reconnaissance aircraft and T-6A trainers, plus Cessna 208s in utility, reconnaissance and light-attack configurations.
flightglobal

RNZAF Orders Beechcraft T-6C to Replace King Air

On January 24,New Zealand Secretary of Defence and President of Beechcraft signed a contract to replace the existing Beech King Air aircraft with the T-6 trainer aircraft.
The first two new T-6 trainer aircraft are due to arrive in New Zealand later this year.
defense-studies

Lockheed Martin, Pilatus Team For Australian Trainer Bid

A second team has revealed its intentions to bid for the Australian Defence Force’s fixed-wing Pilot Training System contest, along with the Oct. 3 announcement that Lockheed Martin and Pilatus will join forces to exclusively offer the PC-21 platform.
BAE Systems, CAE and Beechcraft announced in September its intention to enter the Beechcraft T-6C Texan II for the competition.
The deal signed between Lockheed Martin and the Swiss manufacturer is an exclusive agreement regarding the PC-21, meaning no other competitor can select the platform.
A Request for Tender for AIR 5428 was released to industry Aug.t 2 and will close in February.
defensenews

BAE Systems to offer T-6C to Australia

BAE Systems announced on Sept. 11 that it has teamed with Beechcraft and CAE to bid for the Australian Defence Force’s fixed-wing pilot training system with the Beechcraft’s T-6C Texan II.
BAE Systems has provided services to Australia’s forces for flight screening and basic flying training since 1992.
The company is also teamed with Beechcraft in the US to support T-6-based pilot training for the US Navy.
The Australian pilot training system competition, known as Project AIR 5428, has been underway since 2005, but a formal request for tender was released in August.
The BAE Systems/Beechcraft/CAE team is the first to break cover in the current incarnation of Air 5428.
Boeing Defence Australia is also interested in the competition.
The Pilatus PC-21 is the main competitor to the T-6C, but the Swiss company is yet to reveal its plans for the pilot training system.
AIR 5428 will replace the separate fixed-wing basic and advanced flying training programs with a single system that will take a candidate from flight screening to wings and will make significant use of simulation and other synthetic training aids.
The tender is due to close in February and the successful system will graduate its first students in early 2017.
defensenews

Beechcraft says it has a launch customer for its AT-6 light attack aircraft

Beechcraft says it has a launch customer for its AT-6 light attack aircraft, and could announce an order for 24 examples of the type before the end of 2013.
The company has held "serious discussions" for 24 aircraft anddeclined to identify the customer, however, but says the company has seen interest in the type from countries in the Middle East, Latin America, southwest Asia and southeast Asia.
The company says a good deal of the interest has come from international operators of the T-6 trainer, upon which the AT-6 is based. The T-6 is also used by the US Air Force and the US Navy. The US Army also recently took delivery of two T-6s as part of a four aircraft order for the type.
flightglobal

First Completed T-6C Trainers Delivered to Mexico

Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company (HBDC) announced the first four of six Beechcraft T-6C+ military trainers ordered by the Mexican Air Force (FAM) were delivered in a ceremony this week at Santa Lucia Air Force Base in Reyes Acozac, Mexico. The remaining two aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in time for Mexico’s Independence Day celebration on Sept. 16.

FAM’s order is the first for the new T-6C+, an enhanced version of the T-6 military trainer aircraft. It is capable of carrying external stores and delivering practice weapons for training purposes, and will replace the FAM’s aging PC-7 fleet. The FAM will use the T-6C+ for intermediate to advanced tactics including air-to-ground weapons employment capabilities and training.

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