Pilatus will in 2027 begin deliveries of 22 PC-7 MKX basic trainers to the French air force, following a selection announced at the start of this year.
“It’s a great honour to have been selected once again by our valued customer, France,” says Pilatus chief executive Markus Bucher.
“France will now make exclusive use of Pilatus trainers for all phases of military pilot training,” notes the Swiss airframer, which has previously equipped the nation’s air force with 26 PC-21 turboprops.
To be provided via training partner Babcock France, the new assets will be equipped with head-up displays, which Pilatus describes as “an additional feature which will enable a high degree of commonality between the PC-7 MKX and the PC-21”.
The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25C-engined aircraft will use Garmin’s G3000 Prime avionics suite, featuring “custom user-defined displays”.
“The result is an exceptionally reliable and intuitive avionics system designed to provide an ideal training environment from the earliest stages,” Pilatus says.
France’s DGA defence procurement agency announced the selection decision in early January. In addition to the single-engined trainers, the Mentor2 programme also covers the provision of ground-based training equipment including 12 simulators, plus a mission planning and debriefing system, and a 17-year package of support.
“We are looking forward to working closely with Babcock France in the delivery and operation of the new training system, and we aim to achieve the same level of success as for the PC-21,” says Pilatus vice-president government aviation Ioannis Papachristofilou.
The airframer also has been selected by the Royal Netherlands Air Force to supply the service with eight PC-7 MKX trainers. It launched the new-generation model at the Dubai air show in November 2021, branding it as “the world’s smartest basic trainer”, with “benign and forgiving flying characteristics”.
