ATI Engineering will provide two Textron C-208 EX aircraft to Rwandan Air Force.

According to a contract released by the U.D. DoD (Department of Defense on June 24, 202, ATI Engineering Services LLC, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $10,101,563 contract for Rwanda Textron C-208 EX aircraft acquisition for Rwandan Air Force.

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A Cessna 208 Caravan assigned to the Iraqi air force Flying Training Wing flies over Northern Iraq during a recent training mission. (Picture source Wikimedia)

This contract provides the procurement of two Textron C-208 EX aircraft, associated spare parts and ground support equipment, the necessary modifications for the Rwandan Air Force, flight training device, technical drawings, and interim logistic support for both aircraft and the training device.

The EX is the third variant of the all-metal, high-wing 208 Caravan – introduced in 1984 – and the second iteration of the Grand Caravan, a stretched version of the 208, which arrived four years later. It is powered by an 870 hp PT6A-140 engine.

Cessna replaced the predecessor’s 675hp (500kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A engine with an 870hp PT6A-140. This delivers a 38% improvement in the EX’s rate of climb, and a 12kt (22km/h) boost in its cruise speed, to 195kt.

The unladen weight is 366 kg more but the maximum payload is only 41 kg more. While the 192 hp (143 kW) more powerful PT6A-140 gives an 11-knot (20 km/h) higher cruise speed – and rate of climb is improved by 94 feet per minute (0.48 m/s), the range is reduced to 964 nautical miles (1,785 km) on similar fuel capacity.