The Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer is a low-wing

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

-seat

training aircraft A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristic ...

, designed and manufactured in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Pilatus Aircraft Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. is an aerospace manufacturer located in Stans, Switzerland. In June 2016, the company employed 1,905 people. The company has mostly produced aircraft for niche markets, in particular STOL, short takeoff and landing (STOL) ...

. The aircraft is capable of all basic training functions, including

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

, instrument, tactical, and

night flying In commercial aviation, a red-eye flight refers to a flight that departs at night and arrives the next morning, especially when the total flight time is insufficient for passengers to get a full night's sleep. The term derives from red eyes as a ...

. The PC-7 was developed from the preceding

piston A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder (engine), cylinder a ...

-powered

Pilatus P-3 The Pilatus P-3 was a military Trainer (aircraft), training aircraft built by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. Design and development The Pilatus P-3 was designed for primary and advanced training (including night flying, aerobatics and instru ...

, largely differing by the adoption of a

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

engine, a

bubble canopy A bubble canopy is an aircraft canopy constructed without bracing, for the purpose of providing a wider unobstructed field of view to the pilot, often providing 360° all-round visibility. The designs of bubble canopies can vary drastically; so ...

, and a new one-piece

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

. Introduced during the 1970s, it has since developed a sizable presence of the global trainer market. The type has been adopted by in excess of twenty

air force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

s as their

ab initio ( ) is a Latin term meaning "from the beginning" and is derived from the Latin ("from") + , ablative singular of ("beginning"). Etymology , from Latin, literally "from the beginning", from ablative case of "entrance", "beginning", related t ...

trainer, as well as multiple civilian operators. Over one million hours have reportedly been flown by PC-7s worldwide. In addition to training operations, some aircraft are armed and have been used for

combat Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

missions by several customers, including

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, often in violation of the relevant

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is a ...

agreement between the customer and the

Swiss government The Federal Council is the federal cabinet of the Swiss Confederation Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west ...

. An improved model of the aircraft, the PC-7 Mk.II M, was developed during the 1990s, by combining the newer

airframe The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system. Airframe design is a field of aeros ...

and

avionics Avionics (a portmanteau of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the ...

from the PC-9 with the PC-7's smaller turbine engine. Reportedly, in excess of 600 PC-7s have been sold to various operators, the majority of which are in service. In Pilatus' range of aircraft, the PC-7 has been succeeded by the newer PC-9 and PC-21 trainers.

Development

Origins

Work on what would become the PC-7 commenced during the 1960s. It was based on the earlier

-powered

, the initial

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

being produced from the existing prototype P-3, principally differing by the substitution of its

Lycoming O-435 The Lycoming O-435 is an American six-cylinder, horizontally opposed fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter engine made by Lycoming Engines. The engine is a six-cylinder version of the four-cylinder Lycoming O-290. Design and development The powe ...

engine with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20

power-plant. On , the modified prototype performed its

maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...

. However, the PC-7 programme was abruptly shelved following an accident involving the aircraft.''Air International'' September 1979, p. 112. The termination of work was reportedly driven by a lack of market interest. During

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

, it was decided to restart work on the programme; factors for its revival had included the

1973 oil crisis In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against countries that had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which began after Eg ...

, the launch of the rival Beechcraft T-34C Turbo-Mentor, and the increasing age of existing trainer aircraft. To support the relaunch, another P-3 was obtained from the

Swiss Air Force The Swiss Air Force (; ; ; ) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914, three days after the outbreak of World War I, as a part of the Swiss Army, army and in October 1936 as an independent service. In peaceti ...

. After modifications, this aircraft first flew on . Further extensive modifications followed later in the programme, including the adoption of a new one-piece wing complete with integral fuel tanks, along with an altered tail fin and a

. The flight test programme came to a close during Autumn 1977. On , the first production aircraft made its first flight. On 5 December of that year, Switzerland's

Federal Office of Civil Aviation The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) is the Swiss civil aviation agency, a division of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications. Its head office is in Bern, and it has an office at Zurich Airport. It i ...

(FOCA) issued civil certification for the PC-7; immediately thereafter, initial deliveries of production aircraft commenced to customers

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

and

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

.''Air International'' September 1979, p. 114. Over time, sales of the PC-7 generated considerable profits, allowing the company to finance the development of further types of aircraft.

Further development

The PC-7 Mk.II M is a development of the PC-9's airframe and avionics, which was powered by the PC-7's smaller turbine engine, which reportedly achieved lower operating and maintenance costs. This variant was developed at the behest of the

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

(SAAF), who later adopted the type. A batch of 60 PC-7 Mk.II Ms were locally assembled in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

using

kits KITS (105.3 FM broadcasting, FM, "Live 105") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock radio format known as "Live 105". The studios ...

supplied by Pilatus for the SAAF; due to political considerations, these aircraft were not fitted with the armament

hardpoint A hardpoint is an attachment location on a structural frame designed to transfer force and carry an external or internal structural load, load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points (more formally known as a weapon station o ...

s. Deliveries to the SAAF took place between late

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

and

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

. In addition to Pilatus' own improvement programmes, several third-party companies have independently developed their own upgrades for customer's PC-7. During the late 1990s,

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i engineering firm Radom began offering a kit of new avionics for the type, which included a new mission computer, a wide-angle

head-up display A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD () or head-up guidance system (HGS), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a ...

, along with various replacement communications and weapons-delivery systems. During July

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, Pilatus announced that it has come to an agreement with

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

company Western Aircraft, for the latter to act as a

distributor A distributor is an electric and mechanical device used in the ignition system of older spark-ignition engines. The distributor's main function is to route electricity from the ignition coil to each spark plug at the correct time. Design ...

for the PC-7 across the

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n civil aviation market. At this time, there were already five civil-registered PC-7s in operation in North America; Pilatus believed that the region could be a viable market for both remanufactured and newly built examples of the type, which would be priced between $1 million and $2 million respectively. It was recognised that this market was limited, Western Aircraft expected to sell only a few aircraft per year.

Operational history

General use

All

sales of the PC-7 are subject to approval by the

Swiss Government The Federal Council is the federal cabinet of the Swiss Confederation Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west ...

, whose authorisation is required prior to any delivery taking place. The sale of

-capable aircraft has been a controversial matter at times, and political pressure has been applied for PC-7s to be shipped without the fittings for armaments being installed. The Swiss government has occasionally held up or outright refused to issue export licences for some nations, a move which has reportedly led to the loss of several potential sales, such as to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and

. In addition to its adoption by numerous military customers, the PC-7 has also been used by private customers. It has been certified for civil use by both the

(FOCA) and the U.S.

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

(FAA) as compliant with regulations pertaining to

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

(GA) operations in both

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Amongst its uses in the civilian sector has been aerobatic displays. During the 1990s, the PC-7 Mk.II M was adopted as the basic trainer of the

Royal Brunei Air Force The Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF), natively known as the (TUDB), is the air force of the sultanate of Brunei. It is headquartered and mainly based at the Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, opposite the Brunei International Airport (BIA).

(RBAirF) alongside the

BAE Systems Hawk The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, subsonic, jet-powered advanced trainer aircraft. Its aluminum alloy fuselage is of conventional string-frame construction. It was first known as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk, and subsequently produc ...

jet trainer; the acquisition was seen a key to its expanded operations with

fixed-wing aircraft A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using aerodynamic lift. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft (in which a rotor mounted on a spinning shaft generate ...

. During June

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

(IAF) selected the PC-7 Mk.II M as its new basic trainer, signing a contract for an initial batch of 75 aircraft, with an option for buying an additional 38 PC-7 Mk.II Ms; the Indian military had a total requirement of 181 trainers. The fast-tracked decision to procure a foreign aircraft over a domestically developed alternative proposed by

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bengaluru. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world. H ...

(HAL) was a controversial one; retired Air Marshal

Anil Chopra Air Marshal Anil Chopra, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM is a retired Indian Air Force officer. Until December 2017, he was an Administrative Member of the Regional Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal at Lucknow. He is the father of journalist Shaili ...

argued that HAL had no viable design for the role, and that the IAF could not have reasonably afforded the delay involved in the development of such an aircraft. The procurement of an additional 106 trainers under the 'Make & Buy' (Indian) category was repeatedly deferred. In

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, the maintenance agreement with Pilatus lapsed, resulting in the IAF becoming solely responsible for performing these activities. In

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, India announced that it had chosen to exercise the option of buying a batch of 38 trainers. However, as of 2020, the additional orders for PC-7 aircraft from IAF were cancelled in favour of the indigenous

HAL HTT-40 The HAL HTT-40 (Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40) is an Indian Trainer (aircraft), training aircraft designed and built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It will replace the Indian Air Force's retired HPT-32 Deepak as a basic trainer. Design a ...

from

Hindustan Aeronautics Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian Public sector undertakings in India, public sector aerospace and defence (military), defence company, headquartered in Bengaluru. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and lar ...

, the orders for which was placed in 2022.

Combat use

A number of PC-7s were employed by the

Guatemalan Air Force The Guatemalan Air Force ( []) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of Guatemala. The FAG is a subordinate to the Military of Guatemala, Guatemalan Military and its commanding officer reports to the Defence Minister. Mission ...

air strike An airstrike, air strike, or air raid is an offensive operation carried out by aircraft. Air strikes are delivered from aircraft such as blimps, balloons, fighter aircraft, attack aircraft, bombers, attack helicopters, and Unmanned combat aerial ...

s and for

close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

(CAS) during the

Guatemalan civil war The Guatemalan Civil War was fought from 1960 to 1996 between the government of Guatemala and various Left-wing politics, leftist rebel groups. The Guatemalan government forces committed Guatemalan genocide, genocide against the Maya population o ...

, starting in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, until the end of the conflict in

. The PC-7s were typically deployed from the

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

in La Aurora, being armed with a mixture of

gun pod One of the first American attempts at a gun pod was the .50- calibre B-25_Mitchell.html" ;"title="machine gun conformal-mount "blister" pod on the B-25 Mitchell">machine gun conformal-mount "blister" pod on the B-25 Mitchell A gun pod is a det ...

s and rocket pods. During the lengthy

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

of the 1980s, amid tensions between

and the

, it is alleged that Iranian officials threatened to arm its PC-7 fleet with explosives and use them to launch

suicide attack A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

s against

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

(USN) vessels present in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

. Iran reportedly trained a number of suicide pilots and flew some operational missions, training was performed at Bushehr Air Base in Iran and overseas in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

. In early

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, an Iranian attack helicopter AH-1J Sea Cobra was shot down by an Iraqi PC-7 during Operation Khyber (Iranian pilots Reza Moghadam and Mohammad Yazdi were rescued). In

, the

Mexican Air Force The Mexican Air Force (FAM; ) is the air service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces. It is a component of the Mexican Army and as such overseen by the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA). The objective of the FAM is to defend the integrity, in ...

used several armed PC-7s to attack units of the

Zapatista Army of National Liberation The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (, EZLN), often referred to as the Zapatistas (), is a far-left political and militant group that controls a substantial amount of territory in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico. Since 1994, t ...

during the

Chiapas conflict The Chiapas conflict (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Conflicto de Chiapas'') consisted of the Zapatista uprising, 1994 Zapatista uprising, the 1995 Zapatista Crisis, 1995 Zapatista crisis, and the subsequent tension between the Federal government o ...

. This action was considered illegal by the Swiss government because the aeroplanes were sold for training purposes only, and as result, Switzerland issued a ban on the sale of additional units to Mexico. At the time, the Mexican Air Force was the largest single export operator of the type, and had been seeking to acquire further PC-7s, thus the sales ban was viewed as an economic blow to Pilatus. During the mid to late 1990s,

Executive Outcomes Executive Outcomes is a private military company (PMC) founded in South Africa in 1989 by Eeben Barlow, a former lieutenant-colonel of the South African Defence Force. It later became part of the South African-based holding company Strategic ...

, a private military contractor led by Eeben Barlow, utilised three armed PC-7s (ex-

Bophuthatswana Bophuthatswana (, ), officially the Republic of Bophuthatswana (; ), and colloquially referred to as the Bop and by outsiders as Jigsawland (In reference to its enclave-ridden borders) was a Bantustan (also known as "Homeland", an area set asid ...

Air Force aircraft) to provide

(CAS) during its operations in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

. During the late 2000s, the

Chadian Air Force The Chadian Air Force () is the aviation branch of the Chad National Army. It was formed in 1961 as the Chadian National Flight/Squadron ( or ENT). The force shared a base with French forces at N'Djamena International Airport until Jan 25 when ...

reportedly used its small fleet of PC-7s to bomb rebel positions both in their own territory and in neighbouring

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

. The Swiss government summoned the Chad's ambassador to request an explanation for these reports, as these actions breached the export agreements previously struck for the sale of the type to Chad.

Variants

*PC-7 : two-seat basic trainer aircraft, powered by PT6A-25A engine rated at .''Air International'' September 1979, p. 115. *PC-7 Mk.II M : a development of the PC-9's airframe and avionics, retaining the PC-7's wing to mount external stores. Powered by PT6A-25C of rather than more powerful PT6A-62 of PC-9.Taylor 1999, pp. 96–97. Developed for the

(SAAF), and known as the 'Astra'; the aircraft is a hybrid PC-7 and PC-9, either a PC-7 'Heavy' or a PC-9 'Lite', depending on point of configuration. * NCPC-7 : upgraded version of the standard PC-7 with fully

IFR In aviation, instrument flight rules (IFR) is one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other is visual flight rules (VFR). The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ''Instrument Fly ...

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features an array of electronic (digital) flight instrument display device, displays, typically large liquid-crystal display, LCD screens, rather than traditional Analog device, analog dials and gauges ...

avionics, developed for the Swiss Air Force. The designation NCPC-7 has been provisionally used in the Swiss Air Force to differentiate modernized PC-7s (NC for New Cockpit) from those which were not yet done. It was removed after the improvement of the last of the 28 aircraft in 2009. Consequently, all the Turbo-Trainer took again the designation PC-7. * PC-7 WE: upgraded variant of the NCPC-7 for the

that includes: modification of the communication system, a

TCAS A traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS), pronounced ), also known as an Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS), is an aircraft collision avoidance system designed to reduce the incidence of mid-air collision (MAC) between aircraf ...

(traffic collision avoidance system), ADF system extended (radiocompas), complete disassembly of the avionic and antennas to check for problems, complete disassembly and reassembly of the cables and repairs. *PC-7 MKX : an updated version of the PC-7 Mk.II, with new avionics, cockpit displays, and integration with the ground-based training system (GBTS). The GBTS includes computer and simulator technology, along with new tools such as

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

and

mixed reality Augmented reality (AR), also known as mixed reality (MR), is a technology that overlays real-time 3D computer graphics, 3D-rendered computer graphics onto a portion of the real world through a display, such as a handheld device or head-mounted ...

. PC-7 MKX was announced at the Dubai Airshow in November 2021.

Operators

Military operators

An incomplete list of the users of the PC-7: ; :

National Air Force of Angola The National Air Force of Angola (FANA; ) is the air force branch of the Angolan Armed Forces. With an inventory of more than 300 aircraft, FANA is (on paper) one of the largest and strongest air forces of Africa. History Angola became indepe ...

: 12 PC-7 ordered in 1981, with deliveries starting in 1982, 8 others delivered in 1990. 5 aircraft lost. 16 PC-7 in service in 1994, 9 in 2003, 5 in 2016. ; :

Austrian Air Force The Austrian Air Force () is a component part of the Austrian Armed Forces. Aircraft Current inventory History The Austrian Air Force in its current form was created in May 1955 by the victorious Allies of World War II, Allied powers ...

: 16 PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 2008, 13 aircraft remain in service as of December 2021. ; :

Bolivian Air Force The Bolivian Air Force (BAF; or 'FAB') is the air force of Bolivia and branch of the Bolivian Armed Forces. History By 1938 the Bolivian air force consisted of about 60 aircraft ( Curtiss Hawk fighters, Curtiss T-32 Condor II and Junkers ...

: 24 PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 2008, 2 remain in service as of December 2021. ; :

Botswana Defence Force Air Wing The Botswana Defence Force Air Wing is the air force of the Botswana Defence Force. The Air Arm was formed in 1977 and squadrons are designated with a Z, meaning "squadron". History The Air Wing was formed in 1977 and is part of the Botswana De ...

: seven PC-7 (delivered from 1990) aircraft in service as of October 2008, to be replaced by five PC-7 Mk.II M in 2013; five PC-7 Mk.II M aircraft formally accepted into service on 8 February 2013, removing six original PC-7s from service. ; :

: four PC-7 Mk.II M aircraft in service as of October 2008, currently operated by No. 73 Squadron, and are also used by the RBAirF Alap-Alap Formation

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

display team. ; : Chad Air Force: two PC-7 aircraft remaining in service as of December 2021. ; :

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy () is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense (Chile), Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Ori ...

: ten PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 2008, seven aircraft remain in service as of December 2021. ; :

Direction générale de l'armement The Direction générale de l'armement (, , abbr. DGA), established in 1961, is the French Government defence procurement and technology agency, responsible within the Ministry of Armed Forces for project management, development, and purchase of ...

: six PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 2008. ; :

: 12 PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 2008, one aircraft remaining in service as of December 2021. ; :

: 74 PC-7 Mk.II M, Additional order for 38 units cancelled. Orders placed for

. A PC-7 was lost in a crash in December 2023. ; :

Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF; ) is the air force, aviation branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. The present air force was created when the Imperial Iranian Air Force was renamed in 1979 following the Iranian Revoluti ...

: 35 PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 2008, 34 aircraft remain in service as of December 2021. ; :

Royal Malaysian Air Force The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF, ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) was formed on 2 June 1958 as the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force (; ). However, its roots can be traced back to the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force formations of the British Royal A ...

: 30 PC-7 Turbo Trainers out of a first order of 44 (delivered from 1983), 45 PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 2008; 17 PC-7 Mk.II M out of a second order of 19 (delivered in two batches, nine from 2001 and ten from 2007); total of 47 currently in service; the type is also used by the ''Taming Sari''

display team. ; :

: 88 PC-7 aircraft (first delivery May 1979) in service as of October 2008.Jackson 2003, p. 454. ; :

Myanmar Air Force The Myanmar Air Force (, ) is the aerial branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception has been to provide transport, logistical, and close air support to the Myanm ...

: first customer of the PC-7, deliveries in early 1979, 17 PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 2008, 16 aircraft remain in service as of December 2021. ; :

Royal Netherlands Air Force The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF; , "Royal Air Force") is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was created in 1953 to succeed its predecessor, the ''Luchtvaartafdeling'' () of the Dutch Army, which was founded ...

: 13 PC-7 (first generation) aircraft in service, that will be replaced by 8 PC-7 MKX that were selected in October 2024, and with 2 simulators. ; :

: first customer of the PC-7 Mk.II M delivered 30 November 1994, 60 PC-7 Mk.II M aircraft in service as of October 2008, the type is also used by the Silver Falcons

display team. ; :

: 40 PC-7 aircraft delivered from 1979 that remained in service as of October 2008 Nine have been used by the

display team PC-7 Team since 1989. : 28 PC-7 upgraded with new cockpit in service in 2011 (standard NCPC). As of 2024, 27 remain in service. RUAG and Pilatus have been tasked to modernise the fleet to the standard PC-7 WE (valuation programme). The intention is to keep it in service until 2040. ; :

United Arab Emirates Air Force The United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) () is the air force of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), part of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. Its predecessor was established in 1968, when the Emirates were still under British rule. Since then, ...

: 31 PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 2008, 31 aircraft remain in service as of December 2021. ; :

Uruguayan Air Force The Uruguayan Air Force (, abbreviated FAU) is the air service branch of the Armed Forces of Uruguay. Originally created as part of the National Army of Uruguay, the Air Force was established as a separate branch on December 4, 1953. It is the ...

: 6 PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 2008, 5 aircraft remain in service as of December 2021.

Aircraft ordered

; : French Air and Space force and

French Naval Aviation French Naval Aviation (often abbreviated in French to: (contraction of ), or , or more simply ) is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is . Born as a fusion of aircraft carrier squadrons and the naval pat ...

: 22 PC-7 MKX ordered as primary trainer with 12 simulators developed by Exail in December 2024. It will replace the

Cirrus SR20 The Cirrus SR20 is an American piston-engined, four- or five-seat composite material, composite monoplane built since 1999 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota. The aircraft is the company's earliest type certificate, type-certified model, ea ...

and the Grob G120A. Pilatus won the programme ''"Mentor 2"''. Babcock France will provide the training for the French military. ; :

: 8 PC-7 MKX were selected in October 2024, with 2 simulators, the contract was signed in February 2025.

Civilian operators

At least seven PC-7 aircraft are in service by various unspecified civilian operators as of October 2008.

Former military operators

; : Bophuthatswana Air Force: two PC-7 (delivered from 1989), later transferred to South Africa Air Force and subsequently served in the

civil war and Chad) ; : Iraq Air Force: 52 PC-7 (delivered from 1980) ; :

Nigerian Air Force The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is the air branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the youngest branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces, established four years after the nation became independent. As at 2021, the air force is one of the largest in A ...

had two aircraft in service. ; : Suriname Air Force had two PC-7 aircraft in service as of October 1986 of three ordered (one transferred to civilian operations).

Former civil operators

; :

Swissair Swissair (German language, German: Schweizerische Luftverkehr-AG; French language, French: S.A. Suisse pour la Navigation Aérienne, stylised as swissair) was the Flag carrier, national airline of Switzerland between its founding in 1931 and ban ...

Accidents and incidents

*The

(SAAF) grounded their fleet of PC-7 Mk.II M aircraft after a crash on 15 January 2008. The aircraft went down shortly after takeoff from Overberg Air Force Base in the

Western Cape Province The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabi ...

. SAAF Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Meiring, 58, died shortly after the crash. The aircraft was flying to Langebaanweg Air Force Base for maintenance but shortly after takeoff it rolled and flew into the ground. The cause is believed to have been a structural problem. *In March 2010, a pilot was killed when his

(RMAF) aircraft exploded and caught fire in midair during a solo airshow. This is the fifth accident involving Royal Malaysian Air Force PC-7 aircraft. *In June 2010, two Mexican pilots were killed when their

PC-7 crashed after taking off from Pie de la Cuesta, a district in the resort city of

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...

, Mexico. The PC-7 crashed into the sea near Acapulco. *On 20 October 2011, two PC-7s of the Botswana Defence Force were involved in a mid-air collision over Letlhakeng west of Gaborone. Two of the four aircrew involved were killed in the accident. *On 12 September 2017, a pilot was killed when his

PC-7 crashed at the

Schreckhorn The Schreckhorn (4,078 m) is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, Bernese Swiss Alps, Alps. It is the highest peak located entirely in the canton of Bern. The Schreckhorn is the northernmost List of Alpine four-thousanders, Alpine four-thousander and ...

in Canton Bern on its way from Base aérienne Payerne to Base aérienne Locarno. *On 4 December 2023, a PC-7 of the Indian Air Force crashed in

Medak Medak, formerly known as Siddapuram, is a town in Medak district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Medak mandal in Medak revenue division. Etymology and History Medak was originally named ''Met ...

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

, India. Both pilots died in the crash. The aircraft had taken off on a training flight from Hyderabad. The crash is currently under investigation.

Specifications (PC-7)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Bodansky, Yossef. "Target America & the West: Terrorism Today." ''SP Books'', 1993. . * Cordesman, Anthony H. and Abraham R. Wagner. "The Lessons of Modern War: The Iran-Iraq War." ''Westview Press'', 1991. . * * * * Jackson, Paul. "Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004." Coulsdon, UK: ''Jane's Information Group'', 2003. . * Lambert, Mark. "Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993-94." Coulsdon, UK: ''Jane's Data Division'', 1993. . * Razoux, Pierre
"The Iran-Iraq War."
''Harvard University Press'', 2015. . * "The Svelte Switzer ... Pilatus' Turbo Trainer". ''

Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fir ...

,'' Vol. 16, No. 3, September 1979, pp. 111–118.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pilatus Pc-7 PC-07 1960s Swiss military trainer aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Single-engined turboprop aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1966 Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear