Beechcraft T-6

Beechcraft T-6 Texan II
Type:	Trainer aircraft
Design country:	Switzerland  United States
Manufacturer:	Hawker Beechcraft
Production time:	since 2003
Number of pieces:	> 800 (as of March 7, 2013)

The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II , originally Raytheon T-6 , is a light turboprop aircraft made by the American manufacturer Hawker Beechcraft . It is used for the primary training and education of military aircraft crews, as it has a flight behavior similar to that of a light jet .

history

The T-6 is a further development from the Switzerland originating Pilatus PC-9 . The aircraft revised by Beechcraft was named Texan II based on the T-6 Texan . It is built by Hawker Beechcraft, the former Raytheon Aircraft, in Wichita, Kansas .

It is used by the US Air Force and the US Navy for basic and advanced training in the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System program for pilots, navigators and weapons officers. The joint procurement of just one type of aircraft for the US Air Force and the US Navy is intended to save costs. So it replaces the outdated T-37B Tweet and T-34C Turbo Mentor in the USA .

The ENJJPT pilot training for some European NATO countries at the US Air Force Base Sheppard Air Force Base has also been taking place with this training aircraft since summer 2008; This is how the German Air Force trains its flight students with it. Since the manufacturer does not list the ENJJPT as a customer of the T-6, these are likely to belong to the US Air Force.

construction

The aircraft is a single-engine low-wing aircraft with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 - Turbopropmotor and a Hartzell -Vierblattpropeller. The machine has a retractable chassis. The seats for the student pilot and the instructor are arranged one behind the other.

Versions

T-6A

Greek T-6 with additional tanks

In December 2001, the US Air Force ordered the first series of the Texan II. Delivery began in 2003. By July 31, 2009, it had completely replaced the T-37. At the same time, the Navy is also replacing its T-34 with the new model.

The cost of a Texan II is approximately $ 6 million. A quarter of the costs are caused by the ejection seats developed by Martin-Baker . Since women were also allowed to take part in combat missions from the 1990s, it became necessary to adapt the ejection seats to their average lower weight and size.

T-6B

The T-6B has been available since 2005 and has a glass cockpit with a head-up display , six multifunction displays and a HOTAS control system.

The Greek versions of the T-6A and T-6B can carry weapons, including bombs, missiles, and wing-mounted guns. The T-6B has additional on-board systems for combat training and can therefore also be used as a light combat aircraft.

The US Navy received its first two machines of this type on September 3, 2009. They were delivered to Naval Air Force Station Whiting Field in Florida. The US Navy wants to procure a total of 260 T-6Bs.

T-6C

Like T-6B, but with devices under the wing for additional tanks.

CT-156 Harvard II

CT-156 Harvard II in CFB Moose Jaw , 2005

Twenty-four CT-156 Harvard II were purchased by Bombardier Aerospace for NATO pilot training in Canada and are being leased to the Canadian Armed Forces. The cockpit and other details correspond to the jet-powered trainer CT-155 Hawk , which is also used by the Canadian NATO flight school.

AT-6

The AT-6 "Coyote" is a version for the American tender from November 2009 for the competition for a light combat and reconnaissance aircraft (LAAR - Light Attack Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft, also LAS - Light Air Support) of the US Air Force. After its maiden flight, the machine should have completed the basic flight tests by early 2010. It is a structurally reinforced variant that is equipped with a more powerful PT6A-68D engine (820 kW). It has a cockpit with EFIS screens, HUD and HOTAS controls.

At the end of November 2011, however, the USAF excluded the AT-6 from further competition without giving any reason. Hawker Beechcraft has lodged a protest with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Military users

 Argentina

Fuerza Aérea Argentina : 12 T-6C + (added in September 2017)

 Greece

Greek Air Force : 45 , 25 T-6A, 20 T-6A NTA

 Iraq

Iraqi Air Force : 39 , 15 T-6A, 24 T-6C

 Israel

Israeli Air Force : 20 T-6A

 Canada

Royal Canadian Air Force : 25 CT-156

 Morocco

Royal Moroccan Air Force : 24 T-6C

 Mexico

Fuerza Aérea Mexicana : 48 T-6C + (delivery 2012 to 2017)

Armada de México (Fuerza AeroNaval): 2 T-6C +

 NATO

ENJJPT (including Germany ): T-6A (aircraft carry US national emblems, number included in US Air Force) 

 New Zealand

Royal New Zealand Air Force : 11 T-6C + (delivery 2014/2015)

 United Kingdom

Royal Air Force : 10 T-6C (planned from 2018)

 United States

US Air Force : 451 , 449 T-6A (inventory at the end of 2015), 2 AT-6 Wolverine (for evaluating use as a light ground attack aircraft)

US Army : 4 T-6D

US Navy : 295 , 43 T-6A, 252 T-6B (incoming)

Technical data (T-6A)

T-6A of the VT-10 at Naval Air Station Pensacola

Parameter	Data
crew	1 + 1
length	10.20 m
span	10.19 m
height	3.30 m
Empty mass	2,087 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	2,958 kg
Top speed	586 km / h (316 KIAS)
Cruising speed	426 km / h
Service ceiling	10,670 m
Range	1,700 km
Engines	a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop with 820 kW (1,115 PS)

See also

• Embraer Super Tucano / ALX
• Pilatus PC-21

Web links

Commons : Beechcraft T-6 Texan II  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• T-6A on the website of Hawker Beechcraft (English)
• The T-6 Texan II on the website of the German Air Force.

Individual evidence

1. ^ The History and Developments of Martin Baker America. (PDF; 54 kB) (No longer available online.) Martin-Baker Aircraft Company , July 4, 2012, p. 8 f , archived from the original on March 27, 2014 ; accessed on March 27, 2014 (English).  
2. ↑ Stefan Schmitt: So close to heaven. How modern ejection seats achieve technical masterpieces . In: time knowledge . No. 1 , December 10, 2008, p. 68–71 : "Text = The moment the tube in the backrest and the one on the cockpit floor are separated, the thrust suddenly decreases. This was a problem for the engineers for a long time: if they used a propellant charge that was too weak, the pilot could not get out of the aircraft safely. If it was too strong, they risked spinal injuries. The problem worsened when the first women boarded fighter jets. After all, an ejection seat has since then had to be able to bring their, on average, more delicate bodies to safety just as undamaged as those of a much heavier and significantly larger man. "
3. ↑ FliegerRevue October 2009, p. 8, US Navy receives first T-6B
4. ↑ FliegerRevue April 2010, pp. 24–27, The return of the COIN aircraft
5. ^ Combat Aircraft Monthly, February 2012, p. 21.
6. ↑ Argentina receives first Texan II trainers, Janes, September 29, 2017
7. ↑ Hawker Beechcraft T-6A Providing Primary Jet Training to Iraqi Air Force. (No longer available online.) July 20, 2010, archived from the original on August 26, 2010 ; Retrieved July 22, 2010 .  
8. ↑ Mexican Air Force's Beechcraft T-6C + fleet expands, Janes, February 5, 2016 ( Memento of March 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
9. ↑ www.luftwaffe.de: Air Force training aircraft
10. ↑ Affinity secures UK fixed-wing training contract as part of wider UKMFTS investment, Janes, February 2, 2016 ( Memento of July 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
11. ↑ USAF contracts light-strike aircraft to further LAE experiment, Janes, March 18, 2020