Description
The T-6B Texan II is a tandem-seat, turboprop trainer whose primary mission is to train Navy and Marine Corps pilots.

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Oct. 23, 2020) Student naval aviators assigned to the "Boomers" of Training Squadron (VT) 27 conduct a formation flight in T-6B Texan II aircraft above the Corpus Christi area, Oct. 23. VT-27, based at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, conducts undergraduate primary flight training for the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and select international military partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Michelle Tucker)

201023-N-OU681-1379

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Oct. 23, 2020) Student naval aviators assigned to the "Boomers" of Training Squadron (VT) 27 conduct a formation flight in T-6B Texan II aircraft above the Corpus Christi area, Oct. 23. VT-27, based at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, conducts undergraduate primary flight training for the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and select international military partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Michelle Tucker)

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Photo By: Lt. Michelle Tucker

VIRIN: 201023-N-OU681-1379

Features
The T-6B Texan II is an upgraded avionics variant of the T-6A Texan II and one component of the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) along with simulators, computer-aided academics, and a Training Integration Management System (TIMS), replacing the T-34C aircraft. The program uses commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) subsystems to the maximum extent possible. The T-6 aircraft-built by Hawker Beechcraft Aircraft Company is a derivative of the Swiss Pilatus PC-9 aircraft with a Pratt & Whitney PT-6A-68 engine, Martin-Baker ejection seats, cockpit pressurization, and an onboard oxygen-generating system. The T-6B upgraded avionics provide an all-glass cockpit using three 5x7 multifunction displays, head-up display, hands-on throttle and stick, dual redundant Integrated Avionics Computers and an open-architecture design to allow for future growth.

There are currently 245 Navy T-6Bs serving the Chief of Naval Air Training at NAS Whiting Field and NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. Six additional T-6B aircraft are stationed at the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. 

The T-6 entered development flight test in July 1998. In August 2009 the Navy pursued an avionics upgrade program to outfit the T-6A with significant avionics upgrades. The Navy awarded a limited production contract in August 2009 for nine T-6 “Avionics Upgrade Package” (AUP) aircraft that were ultimately designated as T-6Bs. The full production contract for the T-6B was awarded October 29, 2009, and in 2010 the T-6B reached IOC at NAS Whiting Field, Florida.