Qatar Emiri Air Force orders two Pilatus PC-24s.

According to the Pilatus Annual Report of 2020, the Qatar Emiri Air Force signed last November a contract for two PC-24 jets.

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Already used by the Swiss Air Force, the  PC-24 is originally a business jet produced by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland (Picture source: Wikimedia)

Pilatus PC-24 is a low-wing cantilever cabin monoplane powered by two Williams FJ44-4A turbofans, each mounted in a nacelle on the side of the rear fuselage. It has a T-tail and a retractable tricycle landing gear. The aircraft is designed to operate from short and rough airstrips and incorporates an advanced wing design, with a large double-slotted flap system to achieve the necessary performance, having a stall speed of only 81 knots at the maximum landing weight. The long-stroke trailing link landing gear smooths out uneven surfaces, the dual-wheel main wheels have 70 psi (4.8 bar) of pressure to prevent sinking in soft surfaces, and the wing flaps have a replaceable, abradable surface and shields the high mounted engines from loose debris.

The cabin has room for eight passengers and two pilots.The cabin has three exits, a passenger door on the left-hand side near the front, two overwing emergency exits and a cargo door on the left-hand side at the rear. Pilatus claims the PC-24 is the first business jet to be fitted with this standard pallet-sized cargo door.

The Qatar Emiri Air Force intends to use the PC-24s for pilot training and VIP transportation:

"Our Pilatus PC-21 trainer fleet has been the backbone of our Pilot Training System for the past 6 years. Based on this good experience, we have decided to use the PC-24 to provide advanced training to our multi-engine crews, and also for VIP transportation", said General Eisa Rashid Al-Mohannadi, Qatar Emiri Air Force Academy Commander.