Royal Thai Air Force orders 12 Beechcraft T-6C Texan II aircraft for USD162 million

US-based company Textron Aviation Defense announced on 28 September that it has been awarded a USD162 million contract for the production and supply of 12 Beechcraft T-6C Texan II turboprop trainer/light attack aircraft for the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF).

Textron said the RTAF decided to procure the platforms as part of an integrated training system for its Flying Training School at Kamphaeng Saen Air Base, adding that the contract also includes ground-based training systems for pilots and maintenance crew, a mission planning and debrief system, spare parts, and ground support equipment.

Work will take place at the company’s facilities in Wichita, Kansas, with training for RTAF pilots and maintenance crew set to begin there in 2022. The 12 aircraft, which will be operated in Thailand under the designation T-6TH, are expected to enter RTAF service between late 2022 and early 2023.

Textron said it plans to ferry two of the 12 aircraft, with the remaining 10 platforms set to be crated and transported to Kamphaeng Saen Air Base.

The company said the aircraft are being acquired under the RTAF’s 10-year purchase and development plan published in the service’s 2020 White Paper.