LM Australia completes Air 5428 Phase 1 delivery

Lockheed Martin Australia has delivered the final elements of the Project Air 5428 Pilot Training System to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The project includes 49 Pilatus PC-21 aircraft, synthetic training equipment and support infrastructure.

The Lockheed Martin Australia-led Team 21 features Pilatus, Jet Aviation and the RAAF. It has already graduated 35 RAAF, 11 Royal Australian Navy and 27 Australian Army pilots.

Launched in 2013, Air 5428 Phase 1 was won by Team 21 in December 2015. Lockheed Martin’s leadership of the team was cited as a major contributory factor in winning the competition, given its experience with providing the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s Basic Wings course that also used the PC-21.

The RAAF’s first PC-21 made its maiden flight in July 2016, and the first two aircraft were ferried to Australia in February and March 2017, with the last aircraft arriving in late 2019.

The initial seven-year programme, with performance-based milestones for up to 25 years, was valued at A$1.2 billion ($850,000), although this figure has now grown to A$1.6 billion.