Pilatus To Deliver PC-21 Trainer Aircraft To Qatar

Qatar will take delivery of the Pilatus PC-24 aircraft on schedule, Swiss Ambassador Martin Aeschbacher told Gulf Times Sunday.

The $607 million deal signed two years ago with Pilatus meant Qatar would deliver 24 PC-21 trainer planes to Qatar by mid 2014. The deal included ground-based training tools, logistical support and maintenance.

Aeschbacher said, “Everything related to the Pilatus deal was on schedule and in fact a proper handover ceremony in this connection was expected by the end of this year.”

The PC-21 trainer aircraft is designed to fulfill the requirements for basic, advanced and fighter lead-in training for pilots and, if required, weapon systems officers.

The aircraft is fitted with a fully digital glass cockpit with head-up displays, an up-front control panel, hands-on throttle and stick control and full sized multi-function displays giving a similar cockpit environment to current generation fighters, such as the AV-8B, F-16, F/A-18 and Gripen.