Breaking news
Three Pilatus PC-12NGs for the Irish Air Corps.
| 2017
| a | |||
|
|
|||
|
World Defense & Security News - Ireland
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Three Pilatus PC-12NGs for the Irish Air Corps
|
|||
|
The Irish Defense Minister Paul Kehoe yesterday signed the contract for the delivery of three Pilatus Aircraft PC12NG aircraft to provide an adaptable platform to meet the current and future utility needs of the Irish Defence Forces, including Medevac, ISR, and Logistic Support tasks, the Irish Air Corps said on Twitter.
|
|||
|
|
|||
 A scale model of the Irish Air Corps future PC-12NG turboprop(Credit: Irish Air Corps) |
|||
|
|
|||
|
These aircraft are being purchased in line with the Irish 2015 White Paper on Defence which specified that “The existing five Cessnas, which are currently due for replacement, will be replaced with three larger aircraft suitably equipped for ISTAR tasks.”
The Pilatus PC-12NG provides an adaptable platform to meet the current and future utility needs of the Irish Defence Forces. They will enhance the IAC ability to operate jointly with its colleagues in the Irish Defence Forces, particularly in the area of ISR, Medical Evacuation and logistic support. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in early 2019. The second aircraft will follow later in 2019, with the third to be delivered in 2020. The Cessna 172 fleet that is being replaced has provided over 45 years of outstanding service to the Irish State in a range of surveillance, communications and utility roles. The aircraft will be withdrawn from operational service. A single-engined turboprop, the PC-12NG has a maximum range of 3,416 km and a maximum speed of 520 km/h. It features SmartView synthetic vision with performance-based HUD symbology and the Honeywell Primus Apex integrated avionics suite sets. |
|||