The Spanish Air Force received on Tuesday the first two PC-21 training aircraft, manufactured by Pilatus.
The turboprops arrived at the San Javier air base, in the Murcia region, where they will be used in the training of the pilots of the ‘Ejercito del Aire’, as the force is known.
The contract with the Swiss planemaker involves the delivery of 24 PC-21 aircraft, in addition to two flight simulators, among others. The transfer to the air force will officially take place on Friday, the 17th, after the completion of the model acceptance process.
All 24 PC-21s are expected to be delivered by September 2022, the Spanish Defense Ministry said.
CASA jet
The PC-21, a historic rival to the Embraer Super Tucano, will aim to replace the C-101 Aviojet trainer jet, manufactured by CASA in the 1980s.
The single-engine jet had 166 units produced, of which 88 were received by Spain. About 57 C-101s remain active until recently.
Honduran, Jordan, and Chilean air forces have also become customers of the C-101.
