T-6A "Texan II" reaches half-million flight hours

  • Published
  • By Dave Groendyk
  • 664th Aeronautical Systems Squadron
The aircraft component of the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System, JPATS T-6A Texan II, reached a significant milestone by the end of June, amassing more than 500,000 collective flying hours, at a rate of about 10,000 hours per month.

The JPATS program is managed by the 664th Aeronautical Systems Squadron, 77th Aeronautical Systems Wing here at the Aeronautical Systems Center. The squadron is responsible for the acquisition and sustainment of the JPATS T-6A Texan II.

The first T-6A was delivered to Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, in the summer of 2000, and the fleet of 365 aircraft has been operated jointly by Air Force and Navy training commands. The U.S. Air Force owns 318, and the U.S. Navy owns 47.

The JPATS is a single-engine, turbo-prop, low-wing trainer aircraft with stepped-tandem seating selected to replace aging trainers for both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. The primary mission of the aircraft is to support specialized undergraduate pilot training programs for both the Air Force and the Navy.

In addition, the aircraft is used for the Naval Flight Officer training program as well as the Navy's Test Pilot School. The Navy's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Zero (VX-20) also operates the T-6A.

Since its initial fielding, the T-6A is currently operating at four USAF training bases and two Naval Air Stations. The Air Force pilot training bases are located at Randolph AFB, Texas; Laughlin AFB, Texas; Vance AFB, Okla.; and Columbus AFB, Miss. The Air Force also has plans to deploy additional aircraft to Sheppard AFB, Texas, for training pilots accepted in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program.

The Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla. and NAS Patuxent River, Md., host the Navy aircraft fleet, with future plans to operate at NAS Whiting Field, Fla., beginning in 2009 and eventually at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas.

To date, 133 pilot training classes have graduated using the JPATS program, representing more than 2,000 pilots, both Air Force and Navy. Following primary training in the T-6A, students will move into advanced pilot training in either the T-38 or the T-1 for Air Force students or the T-44 or T-45 for U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps students. 

The T-6A Texan II is projected to remain in service for at least 20 more years. The average sortie duration for the aircraft is about 1.4 hours with each aircraft designed to last at least 18,000 flight hours. The aircraft remains in production with a total planned fleet size of 767 aircraft (452 Air Force and 315 Navy).