Work on the second prototype of the Pegasus P-400T training aircraft, the in-development military training aircraft for the Mexican Air Force, is expected to be complete by June next year.
“We will start flight tests in the second half of next year,” Luis Carlos Rodriguez Salas, Subgerente General of Mexican company Oaxaca Aerospace, which is the aircraft developer, tells Daily News.
“Mexican Air Force pilots will start testing the aircraft in the first half of 2021. I expect Pegasus P-400T to be used as a military aircraft by mid-2022.”
The company and the Mexican Air Force are expected to sign an agreement at the ongoing FAMEX to continue their techno-logical collaboration for the development of the aircraft. An initial agreement was signed at the second edition of FAMEX in 2017.
The aircraft has been designed for use as a military training aircraft and also for general aviation. Rodriguez Salas expects the aircraft to be used for military purposes initially as the certification process for civil aircraft takes longer. The company is showcasing a mockup of the second prototype of the aircraft at the event.
“The second prototype has been in design since the last two and a half years,” Rodriguez Salas says. “The first prototype was showcased at the first edition of FAMEX in 2015 and is now in the final stages of flight testing. We are currently finishing the fabrication of the second prototype.”
“We wanted to fulfill the needs of the Mexican Air Force,” says Rodriguez Salas. “We are in constant discussions with them and want to come out with a product that is most suited to their needs.
“The company expects the aircraft to be in demand not just in Latin America but in other regions as well, Rodriguez Salas said. “The operational costs and overall price of the aircraft is much cheaper than other training aircraft; Pegasus P-400T will cost under US$3 million compared to over US$12 million for other training aircraft. There are many countries that do not have a huge defence budget and cannot afford to spend big money on trainer aircraft; that is the market we are targeting.”
With more than 25 years of experience in defence publishing, Global Business Press and its industry leading titles Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News are the leading defence publications in the region, present at more international shows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
Copyright 2023. GBP. All Rights Reserved.