Irish Military Online is in no way affiliated with the Irish Defence Forces. It is in no way sponsored or endorsed by the Irish Defence Forces or the Irish Government. Opinions expressed by the authors and contributors of this site are not necessarily those of the Defence Forces. If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Most of the Eastern European nations that had the An-26 have replaced them either C-295 or C-27J aircraft.
So do you really want one?
The last was produced in 1986!
They are still in widespread use and modernised ones are also available and China produces a copy with Western engines and avionics. They are as tough as old boots. I had the pleasure of being inside the one that came to Baldonnel in it's Fomer East German colours and it was an impressive aircraft. Not built for creature comforts, but it would go anywhere and operate in conditions that some Western aircraft would have to think twice about.
They are still in widespread use and modernised ones are also available and China produces a copy with Western engines and avionics. They are as tough as old boots. I had the pleasure of being inside the one that came to Baldonnel in it's Fomer East German colours and it was an impressive aircraft. Not built for creature comforts, but it would go anywhere and operate in conditions that some Western aircraft would have to think twice about.
Given the safety record of the Chinese MA-60, I don't think you would have much chance of flying it anywhere in Europe and I include Russia in that.
Most of the crashes were crew error or trying to land in very bad weather, when they should have stayed at home. The Western engines and avionics were not at fault.
Most of the crashes were crew error or trying to land in very bad weather, when they should have stayed at home. The Western engines and avionics were not at fault.
IMHO the MA-60 a poor copy of the original and it has not been certified by any western nation. Given its reputation I do not think that the Chinese would even attempt to have it certified by EASA or the FAA.
The An-26 was a great plane in its day but even the Soviets stopped production 35yrs ago, that mean the airframes are old.
The An-132 look(s)(ed) like a good replacement from Antonov, but the big problem being that Antonov lost most of its market and funding when the USSR fell apart. They tried a joint venture with Saudi Arabia but that does not seem to have worked out. Antonov seem also to have hoped the Saudis would buy the larger An-178 but that seems also to have fallen by the way. Personally I hope Antonov does find buyers as they have a long record of great transport aircraft though it seems they have now given up hope on the An-70 which could have been a great transporter.
Seeing as Pilatus have built pretty much everything else, bar fighters, I wonder if they will ever build a twin turboprop.
PC12 kinda suggests they don't think they need to. They tried the PC8 Twin Porter back in the 60s, but its twin Astazou II offered nothing extra and it never went beyond prototype.
PC12 went far beyond what the PC6 could offer, and when it's customers wanted more, Pilatus gave them the PC24, a twin turbine Bizjet.
For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.
Seeing as Pilatus have built pretty much everything else, bar fighters, I wonder if they will ever build a twin turboprop.
The next possible evolution of the Pilatus product line would maybe a zero-emissions aircraft, possibly a ZE version of the PC-12. It would not have the range of the conventional powered version but with the push to move short range (500nm) air transport to rail it might be an opportunity. Thing to note is that a ZE powered PC-12 might still only have a single propeller but have multiple electrical motors.
The next next size up for Pilatus would be the 19seat range, but the question is there a market for this size of aircraft and currently it does not seem like there is, at least not for a high end product like Pilatus would produce. It seems also that Cessna 408 will corner the segment with their new , but this is launched on the back of a large order from FedEx.
IMHO the PC-12 will remain their largest turboprop offering.
'He died who loved to live,' they'll say,
'Unselfishly so we might have today!'
Like hell! He fought because he had to fight;
He died that's all. It was his unlucky night. http://www.salamanderoasis.org/poems...nnis/luck.html
We process personal data about users of our site, through the use of cookies and other technologies, to deliver our services, personalize advertising, and to analyze site activity. We may share certain information about our users with our advertising and analytics partners. For additional details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking "I AGREE" below, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our personal data processing and cookie practices as described therein. You also acknowledge that this forum may be hosted outside your country and you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in the country where this forum is hosted.
Comment