Team 21 in bid for Australian pilot training contract

A consortium made up of Lockheed Martin Australia, Pilatus and Hawker Pacific submit bid to help train Australian Defense Force pilots.

Lockheed Martin Australia and Pilatus Aircraft have submitted a joint bid to provide the Australian Defense Force with a new pilot training system.

The two companies’ consortium, supported by Hawker Pacific, is known as Team 21 and submitted its proposal for the military’s AIR 5428 Pilot Training System earlier this week. The proposal is based on a proven training system configured to Australian requirements to deliver a fifth-generation training system that meets current and future needs.

Team 21 companies have provided Basic Wing Course training to the Republic of Singapore Air Force for the past eight years.

“Team 21 offers superior performance, a proven team in Australia and capability for the future,” said Raydon Gates, Lockheed Martin Australia chief executive. “We have an established track record and have now graduated 20 classes from a Pilatus PC-21-based pilot training program at RAAF Base Pearce (for Singapore). BWC has very similar mission and support systems as proposed for AIR 5428, significantly reducing risk to the Commonwealth.”

Switzerland’s Pilatus, maker of the single-engine PC-21 trainer plane, supports more than 140 military and civilian aircraft through its Pilatus Australia Pty Ltd. subsidiary.


Source: Canberra, Australia / By Richard Tomkins, United Press International (UPI) News - 4 April 2014

Photo: A pilot training system based on the Pilatus PC-21 aircraft is offered to Australia by Team 21, a consortium of Lockheed Martin Australia, Pilatus and Hawker Pacific. (Photo by Adrian Pingstone / wikipedia.org)

Photo Story: Pilatus PC-21 trainer demonstrator (HB-HZC) lands at the Royal International Air Tattoo, Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. Taken on the Thursday before the weekend show days. Later, both show days (Saturday and Sunday) were cancelled due to flooded car parks. Photographed by Adrian Pingstone on July 10th 2008 and released to the public domain.


(4.04.2014)