Jordan amends Pilatus order to take PC-21 trainers

Jordan has amended a production order with Pilatus for a new fleet of turboprop trainers, switching its commitment from the PC-9M to the more capable PC-21.

2015, Pilatus received a contract to deliver nine PC-9Ms to the Royal Jordanian Air Force, but recently signed an updated agreement to instead provide the service with eight PC-21s, chief executive Oscar Schwenk told the Swiss newspaper Neue Luzerner Zeitung. Deliveries were due to start in January 2017 under the original deal.

Jordan’s changed commitment sees it join a growing list of nations acquiring the PC-21. The type is operated by the air forces of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, and is also on order for Australia.

Pilatus

Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer database records the current global operational PC-21 fleet as totalling 126 aircraft, with a further 62 units on order.