The joint-venture company tasked with modernising pilot instruction for the Canadian military has ordered the final airframes for its 71-strong Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) fleet: seven Beechcraft King Air 260s.
Announced on 27 January, the contract from CAE/KF Aerospace company SkyAlyne will lead to deliveries of the twin-engined turboprops starting in the first half of 2028. The assets will replace seven King Air 90s which have since 2005 delivered multi-engine pilot training for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from Southport, Manitoba.
“KF Aerospace has been proud to operate and maintain the King Air C90B for nearly 20 years as part of the current training programme and we’ve built a strong foundation of expertise on this airframe,” says KF chief executive Tracy Medve. “Bringing in the larger and more advanced King Air 260 will enable KF, our partners at SkyAlyne and the RCAF to deliver next-level multi-engine training.”
“These twin-engine turboprop aircraft deliver versatility, high performance, efficiency, and advanced avionics – all essential ingredients for effective pilot and aircrew training,” adds SkyAlyne general manager Kevin Lemke.
“To support ground-based training systems for these aircraft, SkyAlyne and CAE have also contracted [Beechcraft parent company] Textron Aviation to deliver components for a full flight simulator and flight training devices, which will be manufactured by CAE,” SkyAlyne says.
Canada is the first international customer for the King Air 260 in the military training role, with the new model already entering service with the US Navy.
“The King Air 260 training aircraft will be delivered in a fully compliant, FAcT mission-ready configuration from Textron Aviation’s King Air production line in Wichita, Kansas,” the airframer says.
Being acquired to enable SkyAlyne’s delivery of a 25-year service provision, Ottawa’s FAcT fleet also will comprise 23 Grob Aircraft G120TPs, 19 Pilatus PC-21s, 19 Airbus Helicopters H135s and three Bombardier Dash 8-400s.
Operations will also be conducted from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Separately, Textron Aviation Defense on 28 January announced that a deal to equip the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) with an undisclosed number of T-6 basic trainers is advancing, and that “finalisation of the contract is expected in 2025”.
Tokyo late last year selected the single-engined type, which was on offer in cooperation with local company Kanematsu Group. Once fielded, the T-6 will replace an aged fleet of Fuji/Subaru T-7s.
Textron Aviation Defense says the pending deal will provide the JASDF with “an integrated solution featuring T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft, a comprehensive ground-based training system, training for instructor pilots and aircraft maintainers, and long-term logistic and sustainment support”.
