DEFENCEWEB
Tunisia’s Air Force has taken delivery of eight Beechcraft T-6C Texan II trainer airplanes from the United States.
Tunisian Pilots began training on the planes at Textron Aviation Defence facilities in Wichita, Kansas, in late 2022. The T-6Cs will serve as the new primary training aircraft for the Tunisian Air Force and will be flown by No. 13 Squadron at Sfax Air Base/Sfax-Thyna International Airport. The use of the aircraft will be supported by a suite of devices, including a ground-based training system, an operational flight trainer and a computer-based training lab.
Tunisian Air Force students do their basic training on SF-260s. Tunisia received nine SF-260CTs and 12 SF-260WT Warriors between 1974 and 1978. About 18 SF-260s remain in use. The student pilots then move on to the jet-powered Aermacchi MB-326.
Morocco is the only other African nation that flies T-6s, ordering 24 for $185 million in October 2009.
The T-6 is a development of the Swiss Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainer and was developed to fill the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System role for the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. The C model is a further refinement of the T-6A Texan II with an integrated glass cockpit, advanced avionics suite and hard-point wings that can accommodate auxiliary fuel tanks.
In addition to the hard-point wings, the T-6C’s upgraded avionics include head-up displays, upfront control panels, three multifunction displays, and hands-on throttle and stick controls. The equipment mirrors the systems and capabilities of frontline strike fighter aircraft while retaining all the inherent training and flying characteristics of the T-6 trainer.
The Tunisian Air Force will receive other aircraft from Textron Aviation, with four Cessna Grand Caravans being readied for delivery. These are being modified with electro-optical/infrared sensors, operator consoles, tactical radios, video data links and night vision-compatible lighting.
The fleet of Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprops will aid the Tunisian Air Force in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the country. The Caravans will not be armed.
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