First two PC-21 trainers touch down in Canada under C$11.2 billion aircrew programme

Canada’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) programme has reached a visible milestone, with the first two Pilatus PC-21 turboprop trainers arriving in the country following a transatlantic ferry flight from Europe.

The Swiss-built aircraft were unveiled in Gatineau, Quebec on 17 September, with Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) commander Lieutenant-General Jamie Speiser-Blanchet among those on hand to mark the occasion. Both trainers are scheduled to fly at the Aero Gatineau-Ottawa Air Show on 19–20 September before departing for their eventual home at 15 Wing Moose Jaw.

SkyAlyne — the joint venture between CAE and KF Aerospace responsible for delivering the FAcT capability — said the aircraft completed manufacturing, testing, and training activities at Pilatus Aircraft facilities in Switzerland before crossing the Atlantic. Once in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, the pair will undergo formal delivery to the RCAF and begin work developing and testing elements of the new training system.

In Canadian service, the single-engine PC-21 will carry the designation CT-157 Siskin II. The two newly arrived aircraft carry registrations 157201 and 157202. Nineteen examples of the type will ultimately be acquired through SkyAlyne under a 25-year contract valued at C$11.2 billion (roughly US$8 billion).

The PC-21 is only one component of a wholly new training fleet. The FAcT programme will also introduce 23 Grob Aircraft G120TPs, seven Beechcraft King Air 260s, three De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s, and 19 Airbus Helicopters H135s, creating an integrated pipeline for training the RCAF’s future aircrew across fixed-wing and rotary platforms.

For CAE, the Montreal-based training and simulation specialist, FAcT represents one of the company’s largest government services programmes. CAE shares closed recently at $24.06, down 0.91% on the day from a previous close of $24.28, giving the company a market capitalisation of approximately $7.74 billion. The arrival of the first trainers signals a transition from the programme’s production and setup phase toward operational delivery at Moose Jaw, the RCAF’s principal flight training base.

Grounded in publicly available programme details, the FAcT contract is structured to consolidate what was previously a fragmented set of aircrew training arrangements into a single, long-term performance-based agreement — a model increasingly common among Western air forces seeking predictable training output over multi-decade horizons.

What to watch

• Formal delivery of the first two CT-157 Siskin II aircraft to the RCAF at 15 Wing Moose Jaw
• Progress on development and testing of new FAcT programme elements once the aircraft are in Canada
• Arrival of additional PC-21 airframes and the first Grob G120TP, King Air 260, Dash 8-400, and H135 trainers
• CAE’s upcoming quarterly earnings, which will offer a view on programme ramp-up and related revenue contributions

Source: original release