The US Navy received its first two operational T-54A Multi-Engine Training System (METS) aircraft in mid-April 2024 at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) reported on 22 April.
‘T-54A’ is the military designation for the military training variant of the twin-turboprop Beechcraft King Air 260 aircraft. NAVAIR contracted Textron Aviation, which owns Beechcraft, for up to 64 T-54As in January 2023. These aircraft will replace the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) fleet of T-44C Pegasus aircraft at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas. The T-44 fleet has been in service for more than 40 years.
The T-54A, which features a pressurised cockpit with side-by-side seating and a jump seat, will provide advanced instrument and asymmetric engine handling training to student aviators from the US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Coast Guard and select US allies selected for multi-engine operations. The T-54s, deliveries of which are due to run through to 2026, are to remain in service out to 2055.
The T-54A has technology that will capture data that allows Conditioned-Based Maintenance Plus: a capability that enables the US Navy to trend aircraft health over time to facilitate improved maintenance planning and efficiency. The T-54 also incorporates the latest avionics and navigational updates, including a Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flight deck.
The T-54A also features a digital pressurisation controller, which automatically schedules cabin pressurisation during both climb and descent, reducing pilot workload and increasing overall passenger comfort, as well as the Collins Multi-Scan RTA-4112 weather radar, providing pilots with a fully automatic system that is optimised to detect short-, mid- and long-range weather.
“The T-54A benefits from an active Beechcraft King Air assembly line in Wichita, Kansas, where all required METS avionics and interior modifications are installed on the line, keeping costs down, aircraft conformity consistent across the fleet and optimizing the delivery schedule to the Navy,” Bob Gibbs, vice president for special mission sales at Textron Aviation, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “We are thrilled to continue our 47-year relationship of Textron Aviation aircraft conducting multi-engine flight training for Navy, Marine and Coast Guard Aviators.”
