The Next Generation Trainer

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. 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 is as benign and easy to fly for the ab-initio student as it is challenging and rewarding for the pilot preparing for the front line. The capabilities of the PC-21 make it ideally suited to a very wide training envelope. It can be used from day one, eliminating the need for an elementary flying training fleet and also bridging the performance gap between traditional turboprop trainers and expensive lead-in fighters. In this respect, the PC-21 provides significant advantages over traditional turboprops and jet trainers.

The PC-21 design ensures a predictable operating cost profile. An innovative concept, modern materials and validation with a full-scale fatigue test, result in an aircraft that is ideal for both conventional and performance-based operations. 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 per cent.

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. Trainees are exposed to an operational cockpit environment at the earliest stages of their training. This enables aircrew to acquire skills that are of direct relevance to front-line aircraft from day one.

The PC-21 is designed not only to satisfy the requirements for basic and advanced military pilot training but also to provide enhanced training for all aircrew in the following skills: mission planning and tactical navigation, mission system management, civil flight management, electronic warfare, air-to-air operations and air-to-ground operations including radar training, simulated weapons employment and night vision goggles operation. The PC-21 is enhanced by the ability to adapt the aircraft avionics to the requirements of each phase of training. The front and rear cockpits can be de-coupled for independent operation or to allow instructor access to training modes and data not available to the trainee.

The objective of a modern pilot training system is to produce a pilot capable of meeting the demands of flying today’s sophisticated aircraft. With increasing cost of equipment, resources and time, this goal needs to be achieved as economically as possible. Preparation on the ground saves perspiration and failure in the air. By the time students fly, they should be totally familiar with aircraft systems and avionics functionality. The PC-21 Ground-Based Training System translates student learning into an airborne context.

With increasing global pressure on defence budgets, many air forces are seeking more innovative ways to support their aircraft fleets. Defence ministries are also investigating new ways to manage complex systems. To support this change, Pilatus has developed performance-based contracting, an advanced contracting framework specific to the PC-21 Training System. The aim is to ensure that the operating air force receives an affordable product that meets its explicit performance criteria. This is achieved by contracting for an integrated support package that focuses on overall output requirements, delivering a target availability, rather than separating discrete input measures such as parts, maintenance and technical services.