PC-7 MKX trainers for French Air Force from 2027
March 6, 2025
The French Air and Space Force is to acquire 22 Pilatus PC-7 MKX aircraft as its new basic trainer, manufacturer Pilatus has confirmed, with deliveries scheduled for 2027.
This confirmation follows a decision made in January 2025, with French defence procurement agency Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) awarding Babcock France a $795 million ‘Mentor2’ contract for the provision and support of military air training solutions. Set to run for 17 years, the contract will see approximately 120 student pilots a year trained on 22 new PC-7 MKXs and 12 simulators at the Salon-de-Provence Air Base.
With the French Air and Space Force having provided advanced military pilot training on the Pilatus PC-21 since 2018, the decision to continue with the manufacturer means that France will now exclusively use Pilatus aircraft for all phases of military training. The new aircraft and simulators will replace the training currently being provided on Cirrus SR20s and Grob 120s at Salon de Provence and Cognac air bases.
Alongside its new cockpit design based on the Garmin G3000 PRIME avionics suite, the PC-7 MKX also features a Head-Up Display; described by Pilatus CEO Mark Bucher as enabling “a high degree of commonality between the PC-7 MKX and the PC-21”. Pilatus also explained that the platform provides “an exceptionally reliable and intuitive avionics system designed to provide an ideal training environment from the earliest stages of training”. This is the first time Garmin has integrated its G3000 PRIME technology to enable the use of custom user-designed displays.
Last month, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht) became the launch customer for the PC-7 MKX training system, selecting eight aircraft and associated ground-based training systems (including four simulators). These are also set to be delivered in “the first half” of 2027, with France now the second operator. “We are looking forward to working closely with Babcock France in the delivery and operation of the new training system, and we aim to achieve the same level of success as for the PC-21,” concluded Ionnis Papachristofilou, vice president of government aviation at Pilatus.
