RUAG Aerostructures celebrates delivery of the 2,000th PC-12 horizontal stabilizer to Pilatus. The two companies consolidate their long-standing partnership and additionally agree on follow-up orders for key components of the Pilatus PC-21. RUAG Aerostructures and Pilatus have been working together for over 30 years. Numerous components for the PC-7, PC-12 and PC-21 aircraft types are produced and assembled for the Swiss aircraft manufacturer at the RUAG Aerostructures plant in Emmen. At the beginning of May, the 2000th horizontal stabilizer for the PC-12 was delivered.
Roman Emmenegger, Vice President of Manufacturing at Pilatus Aircraft Works, says: “We value RUAG Aerostructures as a reliable, local partner and supplier. The collaboration has been tried and tested for many years and we look forward to further cooperation.”
Paul Horstink, Executive Vice President RUAG Aerostructures says: “I congratulate Pilatus on the great success with the PC-12 and at the same time I am proud that we with RUAG Aerostructures have been able to contribute to this success story for 34 years. We are very pleased to continue our proven cooperation with our partner Pilatus and to set new milestones together.”
The Pilatus PC-21 is a turboprop-powered advanced trainer with a stepped tandem cockpit. It is manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. The Pilatus PC-21 is an advanced single-engine trainer aircraft; it is often referred to by Pilatus as being the “Twenty-first Century Trainer”. The type can be applied for various training capacities, including basic flying training, advanced flight training, full mission management training, and embedded simulation/emulation. In order to perform these functions, the aircraft possesses a powerful, flexible, and cost-effective integrated training system; providing sufficient ease of use for inexperienced pilots while posing greater challenge to advanced pilots.
In 1988, RUAG Aerostructures took over the development and production of the PC-12 tailplane and has been supplying Pilatus as a single source supplier ever since. The horizontal stabilizer is the horizontal surface of the tailplane, at the rear of an aircraft. Following last year’s extension of the framework contract until 2025, RUAG Aerostructures was again able to secure follow-up orders for the PC-21. The Emmen plant will produce the entire fuselage and wing structure for seven additional aircraft. The single-engine turboprop training aircraft is used by the world’s top air forces to train military pilots. The start of production of the seven aircraft has already begun.
