Photo above: The T-6A Texan II phased out the aging T-37 fleet throughout Air Education and Training Command. Air Force photo // Master Sgt. David Richards
For nearly two decades the T-6A Texan II has been the gateway for hopeful students to enter into the realm of becoming Air Force pilots. The Texan II is a two-seat, single-engine aircraft capable of aerobatic maneuvers and has a zero altitude/zero airspeed ejection seat for student safety.
The T-6A Texan II is a single-engine, two-seat primary trainer designed to train Joint Primary Pilot Training, or JPPT, students in basic flying skills common to U.S. Air Force and Navy pilots. Video// Peter Ising
DEVELOPMENT
In the 1980s, aircraft performance and avionics were advancing at a rapid rate. The Air Force recognized a need for a new training platform to replace its aging fleet of T-37 and T-38 training aircraft. To meet this need the Air Force planned to purchase 650 T-46 Eaglet trainer aircraft but the program was cancelled shortly after its first flight in 1985 due to budget cuts.
After the loss of the T-46 program, the Air Force helped develop the Department of Defense Trainer Master Plan, which was published in April 1988, to identify the types and numbers of aircraft required to meet mission needs. The program planned to use commercial aircraft, as much as possible, to reduce development time and cost. Before being formally named in 1997, the T-6A was identified in the TMP as aircraft portion of the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System, which included a suite of simulators, training devices and a training integration management system.
On June 22, 1995 Raytheon Aircraft Corporation was selected to develop the JPATS for the Air Force and Navy. The program budget was $7 billion and called for the delivery of 372 aircraft for the Air Force and 339 for the Navy.
The base design for the T-6A was based off of the PC-9. Almost every system of the PC-9 was redesigned and almost every component was procured to address government requirements which were specific for military missions and usage.
The aircraft was built with stepped-tandem seating in a single cockpit, placing one crewmember in front of the other, with the student and instructor positions being interchangeable.
