New Trainer to Achieve Maiden Flight in 2025

On the first day of FIDAE 2022 in Santiago de Chile, Henry Cleveland, Executive Director of Enaer, gave details of the Pillán II programme, intended to replace the iconic aircraft of the Chilean aerospace industry – the T-35 Pillán.

The project is based on an integrated pilot instruction system, he stated, in which training will be aimed at making the transition to advanced aircraft as easy as possible. Pillán II will have a glass cockpit and a head-up display, and the system will have a simulator and mission planner, as well as a debriefing system, so that pilots can learn at every stage from creation of a flight plan to post-mission analysis. This will enable instructors to assess and accommodate individual trainee skills and pace of learning.

DTS – an Enaer subsidiary, is responsible for the ground-based peripherals, while the avionics will be imported. The company expects to hire some 300 people for the programme and to develop a competent and comprehensive supply chain.

While the aircraft bears some resemblance to its predecessor, it is practically a brand new aircraft, featuring a completely redesigned wing, greater length and a totally new cabin. In addition, 30% of the components will be in composite materials.

The conceptual phase of the project has now been completed, in which the company focused on meeting the Chilean Air Force’s requirements and analysing appropriate methodologies. This phase occupied the whole of 2021 and the project is now on hold, awaiting government approval of the funds, which will trigger the contract for preliminary design work. The next stage following that will be detailed design work to achieve the aim of prototype maiden flight in 2025 and certification the following year.

The Air Force aspires to decommission the Pillán fleet by 2028-2029, by which time it expects to have the Pillán II in service.

Santiago Rivas reporting from FIDAE for MON