WICHITA, Kan. (March 8, 2010) – Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) this week announced the delivery of the 500th Beechcraft T-6 military trainer to the United States Government. The milestone aircraft, a T-6B, went to the U.S. Navy and will be based at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Fla. Deliveries began in 2000 after the aircraft was initially selected to fill the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System role for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and the U.S. Navy (USN) in 1996.

“The T-6 and its derivatives are now in service around the world,” said Jim Maslowski, president, U.S. and International Government Business. “It has met and surpassed the performance and durability requirements set in the original procurement and has shown it will continue to be an exceptional training platform for many years to come.”

The T-6 offers military organizations worldwide the most proven and most cost-effective training system available today. As a primary trainer aircraft it accommodates instruction in instrument flight procedures and basic aerial maneuvers. To date, it has been used to train pilots in approximately 20 different countries.

Hawker Beechcraft has a rich heritage of meeting military mission needs and has been delivering aircraft certified to military specifications for more than 50 years. Today, 100 percent of USAF student pilots and 100 percent of USN student pilots train in aircraft made by Hawker Beechcraft. In addition to the T-6, Hawker Beechcraft is rolling out a light attack version of the aircraft, the AT-6. With one prototype flying and a second prototype planned to enter flight test  in 2010, the integration and flight test efforts are proceeding on parallel paths in order to meet rapidly emerging needs for irregular warfare capabilities around the world.

Source: Hawker Beechcraft