SkyAlyne Delivers First Pilatus PC-21 Aircraft for Royal Canadian Air Force Advanced Pilot Training

Canada – SkyAlyne and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) welcomed the first two CT-157 Siskin II aircraft, the Canadian designation for the Pilatus PC-21, to Canada on September 17, 2026. The aircraft will support Advanced Flying Training – Fixed Wing and Advanced Flying Training – Jet under the Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program, expanding the new training system beyond the basic flying phase already being established at 15 Wing Moose Jaw.

• The two aircraft are the first of 19 CT-157 Siskin IIs planned for FAcT. Following their arrival in Gatineau and participation in AERO Gatineau-Ottawa, they are scheduled to continue to 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, where the fleet will be based at 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School.
• The aircraft arrived after production testing, factory acceptance and training activity at Pilatus Aircraft’s facilities in Stans, Switzerland. Once at Moose Jaw, the initial aircraft will support program development, testing and a train-the-trainer phase as instructors prepare the new advanced flying syllabus.
• The CT-157 will replace the CT-156 Harvard II within Canada’s ab-initio military pilot training system.
• FAcT is a 25-year, CAD11.2 billion (approximately US$7.86 billion) contract awarded to SkyAlyne in 2024. The program includes 71 aircraft across five fleets, together with ground-based simulators, civilian instructors, classroom systems, infrastructure, aircraft support and other training services.
• The wider program consolidates RCAF pilot, Air Combat Systems Officer and Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator training into a single training system operating from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; Southport, Manitoba; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
• The CT-157 joins the CT-102B Astra II, based on the Grob G 120TP, which has already entered flying activity at Moose Jaw for Basic Flying Training. The FAcT fleet will also include the CT-153 Juno Airbus H135 for advanced rotary-wing training, King Air 260 aircraft for multi-engine training and Dash 8-400-based aircraft for aircrew training.
• AFM previously reported that SkyAlyne contracted for 19 Pilatus PC-21 aircraft in December 2024 for the FAcT program, with the fleet planned for Moose Jaw from 2026. The first production aircraft subsequently completed its maiden production test flight in Switzerland in February 2026.
• The two-seat CT-157 is powered by a 1,600-shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop engine. The RCAF lists a maximum speed of 685 km/h and a range of 1,333 km, while SkyAlyne states that the aircraft is capable of operating between +8G and -4G.

About SkyAlyne
SkyAlyne is a Canadian joint venture between CAE and KF Aerospace established to deliver the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Future Aircrew Training program. As prime contractor, it is responsible for integrating aircraft, simulators, instructors, infrastructure, maintenance and training services across the 25-year program.

Source: SkyAlyne