Pilatus PC-21: What To Know About The Royal Canadian Air Force's Next-Gen Trainers

Canada has selected 19 Swiss-made Pilatus PC-21 as a new next-generation training aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The Pilatus PC-21 is designed to be benign and easy to fly for the ab-nitio student and challenging for the pilot soon to be qualified for the front line. It can be used to train pilots from their first day until they transition to fighter jets. Pilatus claims the PC-21 boasts superior aerodynamic performance compared to any other turboprop trainers worldwide.

What to know of Canada's Future Aircrew Training program

The Pilatus PC-21s are part of the Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program. The program combines two existing training contracts: training done in-house by the Canadian Air Force, the acquisition of new training aircraft, and more.

The FAcT program is replacing training services currently provided by two separate contracts. One is the NATO Flying Training in Canada, which is set to expire in 2027, although it's extendable to 2028 (currently provided by CAE Military Aviation). The second contract is provided by Allied Wings, and that is also set to expire in 2027.

The Canadian Air Force states, "The FAcT program will also include aircrew training for air combat systems officers and airborne electronic sensor operators, which is currently being delivered in-house by the RCAF. The program combines all of these requirements in 1 contract, including maintenance and infrastructure services."

The CAD $11.2 billion (USD $7.8 billion) 25-year contract was awarded to SkyAlyne Canada in May 2024. As part of the contract, SkyAlyne (working with its subcontractor, KF Aerospace) will deliver 70 training aircraft (of which 19 will be Pilatus PC-21 trainers). There is a five-year transition period for SkyAlyne to become the sole pilot and aircrew training program for the Canadian Air Force. Deliveries of the PC-21s are expected to begin in the second half of 2026.

The Pilatus PC-21

According to Pilatus, the PC-21 is the only trainer aircraft needed to get pilots flying their fighter jets (although it seems like every plane maker says its aircraft are the best). With the PC-21, pilots start with the simulator and then can perform basic flying, advanced flight, and fighter lead-in training with the PC-21 before transitioning to fighter aircraft.

Pitatus states, "On the PC-21, pilots destined to fly fighter aircraft do not need to transition to jets until much later than those flying conventional trainer aircraft, reducing cost and training time. To achieve this, Pilatus significantly expanded the design and performance envelope to take this single-engine turboprop into an area that was, until now, exclusively the domain of jet trainer aircraft."

The PC-21 has Martin-Baker CH-16C Zero-Zero ejection seats, fully balanced and harmonized flight controls, clear visual/system data displays, a full autopilot, and more. The aircraft's powerplant is a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-68B turboprop engine providing 1,600 shaft horsepower, and its propeller is a five-bladed graphite scimitar propeller.

Key to the PC-21 is its advanced embedded simulation and training suite. According to Pilatus, "Systems integration is at the heart of the PC-21 cockpit philosophy. As an advanced trainer aircraft, the cockpit display and control systems are configured to match the latest generation front-line aircraft as closely as possible."

Pilatus claims the PC-21 has speed and climb rates that only jet-powered aircraft can match. The PC-21's wings are rated for up to 8g maneuvers. The company also claims the aircraft offers "significant advantages" over traditional turboprops and jet trainers.

"To train the next generation of military pilots, Pilatus developed the next generation trainer: the PC-21, designed and built specifically with student pilots in mind. With air force budgets under continuous pressure, the PC-21 provides a cost-effective and highly efficient training solution." - Pilatus

Adding to Pilatus' attractiveness as a trainer aircraft, the PC-21 has been designed to be affordable with a predictable operating cost. Pilatus says, "Experience with existing PC-21 customers has shown that it is possible to reduce the cost of taking a student to wings graduation by more than 50 percent."

The Australian Air Force states, "It eliminates the need for an elementary flying training fleet, but also bridges the performance gap between traditional turboprop trainers and lead-in fighters."

Even so, the PC-21 is far from a one-stop shop, and air forces use it alongside other training aircraft. For example, Canada is also purchasing 23 Grob G 120TP trainers, and Australia operates Hawk 127 lead-in fighters.

A global export success

The Pilatus PC-21 is one of the world's most popular and widely used next-generation trainers . So far, 11 (and counting) air forces and training schools have ordered the PC-21.

To date, Pilatus has supplied around 250 PC-21s to various air forces around the world - including the Swiss Air Force, the Spanish Air Force, the Australian Air Force, the Saudi Air Force, and others. Saudi Arabia is the largest aircraft operator, followed by Australia.

The Royal Australian Air Force agrees that the PC-21 is the "world's most advanced pilot training aircraft." It says the aircraft ensures undergraduate pilots develop the necessary skills needed before progressing to its advanced.

The PC-21 competes with other trainers in the export market, including the Indian HAL HTT-40, the United States, Beechcraft T-6 Texan II, the Brazilian Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, the South Korean KAI KT-1 Woongbi, and the Turkish TAI Hürkuş trainers. Russia is also developing the Yakovlev Yak-152, which may fill a similar role.

Pilatus' other aircraft in production

Pilatus currently produces four types of aircraft: the PC-21, P-7, P-12, and the P-24 (a mix of turboprop and jet aircraft). In addition to the PC-21, Pilatus also builds the PC-7 basic trainer.

The PC-7 is also used in a light attack role by some air forces (e.g., by the Mexican Air Force). Pilatus also builds two types of civilian aircraft - the Pilatus PC-24 and the Pilatus PC-12 . The PC-24 is a light business jet that first flew in 2015 and came into service in 2018 (around 212 of the jets have been produced).

The PC-12 is a single-engined turboprop that has been in production since 1991 (with over 2,000 delivered). It is used for corporate transport, various government agencies (e.g., police departments and air forces), and by small regional airlines.

The United States Air Force's new advanced jet trainer

The USAF Beechcraft T-6 Texan II

The US Air Force's comparable trainer is the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II, a turboprop trainer developed and built by Textron Aviation. In the 2010s, the Texan II replaced the Air Force's aging Cessna T-37B Tweet and the Navy's T-34C Turb Mentor. The T-6 Texan II is developed from the Pilatus PC-9 developed in the 1980s.

Textron uses similar language as Pilatus to describe its trainer, "The Beechcraft T-6C Texan II military training aircraft is a next generation military trainer designed for all instruction levels. Purpose-built for a wide range of capabilities, the model T-6C prepares pilots for real world missions."

The Texan has also been ordered by various other air forces (including New Zealand, Morocco, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Israel, Greece, and others. The T-6 Texan II sometimes out-competes the PC-21 for export orders (e.g., within days of Canada saying it had selected the PC-21, Japan announced it had chosen the T-6 Texan II).

The USAF Boeing-Saab T-7 Red Hawk

Meanwhile, the Boeing-Saab T-7 Red Hawk is in the final development stages and will soon enter serial production. It is a transonic advanced jet trainer developed to replace the aging Northrop T-38 Talon and the Air Force's advanced jet trainer.

"Students flying in the T-7A Red Hawk benefit from enhanced situational awareness, improved decision making, realistic preparation, improved safety and increased confidence compared to other training solutions." - Boeing

Boeing states, "The T-7A Red Hawk is an all-new Advanced Pilot Training System (APTS) for the U.S. Air Force, with the flexibility to evolve as technologies, missions, and training needs change." It also says the Red Hawk is specially built to train pilots on fifth-generation aircraft. The United States Air Force plans to purchase 351 Red Hawk trainers and has an option for 450 (far more than the total orders Pilatus has so far received for its PC-21).