Spanish Air Force finalizes requirements for new advanced jet trainer

The Ejército del Aire (EdA, Spanish Air Force) has outlined its plans regarding the advanced training of its combat pilots during a livestream event about Aircraft Trainers and Virtual Environments on Wednesday 20 January 2021.

Beyond the acquisition of an advanced jet trainer, of which up to 55 aircraft will be purchased in two phases (30 and 25), the integrated training system will use state of the art technologies, a virtual environment and artificial intelligence. The new Integrated Training System is built around the Pilatus PC-21 as the basic training aircraft, followed by the new aircraft in the advanced training role and as a lead-in trainer for the Typhoon.

The new aircraft will replace both the CASA 101EB and SF-5M trainers. The SF-5M is scheduled for withdrawal from service around 2028. The CASA 101EB will gradually be retired from September 2021, but will be replaced by the Pilatus PC-21 for some parts of the training syllabus.

The industry participants in the livestream event where Airbus with their Airbus Future Jet Trainer (AFJT) and Leonardo with the M346 Master.

Photos and impressions: Airbus and Leonardo