RAAF PC9/A replacement announced.....sort of

[Captain Sand Dune]

Lockheed Martin wins Air 5428 (http://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/lockheed-martin-wins-air-5428)
About bl**dy time too.:ok:
Wonder how long it will take before the aircraft actually appear on the flight line.

[CoodaShooda]

Four years, at least; according to the article. So that makes it around ummm 2025?

A lot longer than it will take the yanks to make Darwin an operational B1 base.

[Rosco22]

What are the details of this bid?

Straight through simulator and PC-21 training in one location? What location is this looking like?

Surely Flight Screening will still occur...

[Captain Sand Dune]

Good questions all. Can't say right now....sorry. Strictly speaking Australian Defence Magazine probably shouldn't have let this cat out of the bag right now.

[CoodaShooda]

Perhaps someone "misspoke", sorta like that American Assistant Defence Secretary and his comment about basing B1's in Oz. :E

[Captain Sand Dune]

Yep. Never believe anything until it's been officially denied!:E

[junior.VH-LFA]

Tis offical now

[Buster Hyman]

So, you take the ship building from Victoria & give it to SA...is this the payback?

Politics eh? :ugh:

[josephfeatherweight]

I'm pleasantly surprised they went with the better (more expensive) option. The PC21 is an excellent piece of kit and will serve the training requirements of the next generation of student pilots going on to the various platforms well! Wish I could have a ride!

[chopper2004]

Here's the official images from the RAAF ceremony , cheers

http://images.defence.gov.au/fotoweb/grid.fwx?ArchiveID=5003&Search=S20152456

[layman]

Have only just seen this (slow internet ...)

Just curious - does anyone (who can publish on here) know if it will be "all" RAAF instructors of will there be civilians involved as well?

I'm assuming all RAAF with some re-deployed from 2FTS to BFTS at Sale

thanks
layman

[pr00ne]

How odd...

The RAF is quite significantly larger than the RAAF, yet the RAAF needs 49 aircraft of this type whereas the MFTS mob think that they need just 10 for the RAF?

Something doesn't stack up there and I doubt it's down under.

[dostum]

All military instructors. Mostly RAAF with some Army and some Navy. No civvie contractor instructors in sim or aircraft.

[layman]

dostum

thanks.


Same caveat as before but another question ...

Will that mean Army pilots will complete at least part of the Advanced Flying Training at 2FTS and then the QFI course to be able to instruct on the PC21?

regards
layman

[layman]

Have heard (from a friend of the Townsville refueller ...) that the first pilots soon to be off overseas to start training

cheers
layman