Pilatus Aircraft Ltd is proud to announce that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force & Air Defense (AF&AD) has entered into a contract in excess of 500 Million Swiss Francs to procure a fleet of 25 PC-21 turboprop aircraft, together with an integrated ground based training system and a comprehensive logistics support package.

After Switzerland and Singapore, the UAE is now the third country to revolutionise its training pipeline with the most modern and most advanced turbo trainer aircraft on the market today.

Delivery of the aircraft and the complete training system is scheduled to commence in 2011, paving the way for basic and advanced flying training in the UAE to be in line with the 4th generation equipment already in service in the front line squadrons, enabling the UAE AF&AD to continue to produce first class pilots for these demanding platforms.

The decision to select the PC-21 training system was made after an extremely tough and thorough evaluation by the UAE, which looked at all available options. It is a major success for Pilatus Aircraft Ltd in the Middle East and we believe it will encourage other forces in the region and beyond to take a close look at our pilot training solution.

As a partner to the UAE AF&AD for more than 25 years, in supporting the existing fleet of PC-7 trainer aircraft, this award is proof positive of the confidence and trust our customer has bestowed on Pilatus Aircraft Ltd for securing the future of their basic and advanced flying training requirements.