Italian company Blackshape seeks opportunities in South East Asia for its Gabriel Turboprop trainer.

While the first launch of the Gabriel date back years ago, Italian airframer Blackshape has been continually adding improvements to their aircraft to facilitate trainer ambitions in technology, airframe avionics and software. The latest version is Gabriel Turboprop (Gabriel-TP), upgraded from Gabriel BK160 which was demonstrated during Singapore Airshow 2020 on February.

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Gabriel Turboprop (Picture source: Blackshape)

Gabriel-TP is a low-wing two-seat tandem aircraft, best suited for military pilot training, certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in the CS-VLA category. Powered by a Roll Royce turboprop engine, itis capable of 200 KTAS at sea level, while carrying external payloads such as camera or laser-guided missiles for a light-strike/COIN attacker training. It is equipped with 2 full-glass cockpits a data-recording system that allows session analysis of trainee’s performance and turns the aircraft into “something like a flying laboratory”. Safety features include military-grade wiring, five-point seatbelts, and anti-blast fuel tanks, and a unique ballistic parachute designed to save both pilots and the aircraft.

Gabriel-TP can serves for both civil and military aviation. Its ideal users are who simply want to get somewhere fast, want to enjoy a higher level of emotion in flight, and flying schools that want to offer more advanced training to trainee pilots at a feasible operation cost, resting assured that spare parts are easily purchased and in-country manufacturing is possible.

Blackshape is willing to cooperate for local production in South East Asia countries including Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar... either knock-down kits or full technology transfer for in-country manufacturing. The transfer could provide a good opportunity to establish an aviation high-tech technology to develop state-of-the-art aircraft while shortening time and cost for R&D phase and certifying aircraft.