The Belgian Government has decided to approve the renovation program of the training aircraft line by selecting the PC-7 Mk X from Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.
Eighteen PC-7 Mk X aircraft will be purchased and will replace the SF-260 currently employed by the Belgian Air Force (BeAF), in service since the early seventies of the last century.
For this purpose, a contract will be signed with Pilatus Aircraft that, beyond the eighteen aircraft, includes the provision of flight simulators, adjustments to existing and new infrastructure at Beauvechain air base, as well as 20 years of operational support.
The Swiss aircraft Pilatus PC-7 Mk X, with a maximum takeoff weight of 2.85 tons and equipped with a 700 hp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25C turboprop, reaches a maximum tangent of 25,000 feet and a maximum cruise speed of 445 km/h.
Photo credit @Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.
