French Air and Space Force Buys Pilatus PC-7 MKX Trainers
Fleet will include 22 aircraft and ground-based instruction, including simulators.
Pilatus PC-7 MKX [Courtesy: Pilatus]
Defense officials in France have selected the Pilatus PC-7 MKX to train military pilots in the country's air and space force, the aircraft manufacturer announced Wednesday.
The country's procurement agency, Direction Générale de l'Armement, has entered into an agreement to buy 22 of the trainers for the Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace, as well as ground-based training.
"Pilatus will supply simulators, computer-based training and mission planning and debriefing system equipment," the company said.
The purchase will modernize the air and space force's existing training fleet of 26 Pilatus PC-21 aircraft, which have been in operation since 2018.
The PC-7 MKX platform features a heads-up display and a cockpit design based upon the Garmin G3000 PRIME avionics suite.
In February, the Royal Netherlands Air Force announced it was purchasing eight PC-7 MKX trainers and four flight simulators.
“The French Air and Space Force will be along the Royal Netherlands Air Force, the first two operators introducing the new PC-7 MKX into service," Ioannis Papachristofilou, vice president of government aviation at Pilatus, said in a statement. "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.”
France will begin to take delivery of the PC-7 MKXs in 2027, Pilatus said.
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