Textron, owner of Beechcraft, celebrated on Wednesday (12) the delivery of the 6th T-5C Texan II turboprop, as well as the achievement of 6 million flight hours in the entire global T-XNUMX fleet. The aircraft will be delivered to the Colombian Air Force.
Based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 is a direct competitor to the A-29 Super Tucano from Embraer, especially in its AT-6 Wolverine version. All Beechcraft T-6 Texan II aircraft are designed and manufactured at the company's facility in Wichita, Kansas.
“It is an honor to celebrate the XNUMXth delivery of a truly legendary aircraft”, said Ron Draper, President and CEO of Textron Aviation. “The world's most advanced global air forces and pilots rely on us to deliver a great aircraft that enables them to make the world a better and safer place. Our world-class workforce goes the extra mile to design, manufacture, deliver and the world's leading military flight instructor. It is an honor that partner nations continue to trust the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II as the gold standard in training capabilities.”
The 6th T-XNUMX military flight trainer was delivered to Colombian Air Force. A fleet of five T-6C Texan II trainers equip Combat Air Command No. 1 (CACOM-1) with its initial roster of Beechcraft T-6C Texan II advanced military training aircraft at Capitan Germán Olano Moreno Air Force Base in Palanquero, Colombia .
The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II Integrated Training Systems (ITS) global fleet comprises five variants, which were manufactured on a live production line with an industry-leading Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) rating of 10.
· The T-6D is operated by the United States Army.
“Together, our team has created an integrated training system that is the world's most advanced and sought-after capability for producing pilots – in particular, 4th and 5th generation pilots,” said Tom Hammoor, President and CEO of Textron Aviation Defense LLC.
“Our nation has relied on the T-6 for more than 20 years to train its flight students. Prior to that, the United States had the Beechcraft T-34 Turbo Mentor, the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, and the Cessna T-37 Tweet. That means every DoD pilot has learned to fly a Beechcraft or Cessna aircraft for nearly 70 years.”
The fleet of 1.000 Beechcraft T-6 Texan II trainers empowers the global capabilities of pilots in 13 nations and two North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) flight schools. T-6 operators include.
· Iraqi Air Force
Additionally, the U.S. Air Force recently announced that a 14th nation will acquire the T-6C through a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, leveraging 2021 and 2022 Building Partnership Capability funds.
Backed by more than 90 years of experience delivering more than 250.000 aircraft worldwide, the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II's low acquisition, operating and maintenance costs allow global air forces to accelerate pilot production.
With an installed base that more than quadruples its closest competitor, the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II family of aircraft has been the world's number one Integrated Training System (ITS) for over 20 years. The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II capitalizes on an active production line with an industry-leading Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) rating of 10, as well as a proven supply chain and the affordability of 85% common parts with the Beechcraft AT-6E Wolverine.
With Textron
