Hawker-Beechcraft delivers four high-performance military trainer aircraft to Mexican air force
WICHITA, Kan., 26 Aug. 2012. Leaders of the Mexican air force has taken deliver of the first four of six Beechcraft T-6C+ military trainer aircraft ordered from the Hawker-Beechcraft Defense Co. in Wichita, Kan. The remaining two aircraft are to be delivered by next month.
The T-6C+, an enhanced version of the T-6 military trainer aircraft, can carry external stores and deliver practice weapons for training, It will replace the Mexican air force aging PC-7 fleet. The Mexican air force will use the T-6C+ for intermediate to advanced tactics including air-to-ground weapons employment capabilities and training.
The T-6C+ has a hard-point wing, heads-up display, up-front control panel, an integrated glass cockpit and an advanced Esterline CMC Cockpit 4000 avionics suite. The systems are integrated with a hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS), providing the student pilot and instructor with a simpler interface to the digital cockpit.
The CMC Cockpit 4000 avionics has dual FMS/GPS navigation suite and open-architecture design. The T-6C+ is for training from basic introductory flight training to more challenging and complex advanced training missions.
Deliveries of the T-6 began in 2000 after the aircraft was initially selected to fill the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) role for the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. Since then, additional military programs worldwide, including NATO Flying Training in Canada, the Hellenic air force of Greece, the Israeli air force, the Iraqi air force and the Royal Moroccan air force have chosen the T-6 and its derivatives as their primary trainers.
The T-6 has been used to train pilots, navigators and weapons systems operators from about 20 different countries. The worldwide fleet of nearly 800 T-6 aircraft exceeded 2 million flight hours in June 2012.
For more information contact Hawker-Beechcraft Defense Co. online at www.hawkerbeechcraft.com/military.
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John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
