The Mexican Air Force (FAM) has sealed a deal with Hawker Beechcraft for six of the company’s new T-6C+ trainers, Beechcraft announced this week.
The new trainers, equipped with Esterline CMC Cockpit 4000 avionics, HUD and an up-front control panel, among other features, will replace the FAM’s existing fleet of Pilatus PC-7s. According to Beechcraft, the first two T-6C+ trainers will be delivered early this year to a base in northern Mexico.
Since deliveries of the T-6 launched in 2000, the aircraft has been used to train military units throughout the world, including the U.S. Air Force and Navy, the Hellenic Air Force of Greece and the Iraqi Air Force, to name a few.
The positive announcement from Beechcraft comes on the heels of news that the company lost out on a nearly $1 billion U.S. Air Force contract, which went to Embraer’s Super Tucano light attack aircraft over Beechcraft’s AT-6. Beechcraft has filed a legal suit contesting the decision, claiming the company’s exclusion from the contract “was made without basis in process or fact.”
While the Air Force stands by its selection of the Super Tucano, it has temporarily suspended the project in light of the allegations, which are slated to be heard in court by the end of March.
