Cessna Warbirds by Walt Shiel

In the 1990s, Cessna entered the competition for a new military training aircraft, hoping to provide the replacement for its own 1950s-vintage T-37 jet trainer. Cessna, a latecomer to the contest, thought they had the perfect solution.

In 1989, the US Congress mandated procurement of a single replacement aircraft for the T-37 and the Navy’s 25-year-old Beechcraft T-34C turboprop trainers. Similarities in the primary training requirements of both services and the overall DoD push for more “jointness” among the services to conserve precious defense procurement dollars, overcame the initially strong military objections.

DoD issued the final requirements document for the newly-designated Joint Primary Aircrew Training System (JPATS) in January 1994. The aircraft manufacturers, faced with too few potential military contracts for the number of companies in the market, quickly formed teams with widely varying solutions.

Although 25 teams initially jockeyed for position in the race for the trainer roses, the requirements kept changing. The demands on contending companies finances correspondingly increased, and many teams dropped out. By mid-1992, only six companies remained in the running. . .with Cessna still on the sidelines. All of the competing teams included a US partner to assemble an aircraft designed by an overseas firm — Beech/Pilatus (Switzerland),  Northrop Grumman/Embraer (Brazil), Northrop Grumman/Agusta (Spain), Northrop Grumman/FMA (Argentina), Rockwell/DASA (Germany), and Lockheed Martin/Aermacchi (Italy). The field included two turboprops, three turbofans, and one turbojet.

Finally, in November 1992, Cessna jumped into the competition by creating a missionized version of its successful Model 525 CitationJet.  Cessna offered both the only all-American team and the only twin-jet design, using a derated version of the small, lightweight Williams International FJ44, a 1,900-pound-thrust turbofan.

The original CitationJet had received its FAA certification on 16 October 1992. Wasting no time, Cessna flew the two prototype Model 526 JPATS CitationJets on 20 December 1993 and 2 March 1994, respectively. In fact, the second prototype completed three flight test missions on its first day.

In creating the JPATS version of the business-oriented CitationJet, Cessna reused the Model 525’s laminar flow wings, landing gear, hydraulic and electrical systems, multi-cell single-tank fuel system, and mechanical flight controls, achieving a 75% design commonality. Cessna designed a new fuselage, empennage, cockpit section, canopy, avionics, ejection system, and on-board oxygen generation system.

Cessna JPATS CitationJet prototypes (Cessna photo)

The FAA fully certified the Model 526 under Federal Aviation Regulations Part 23 aerobatic criteria on 22 June 1994, just six months after first flight. The flight test program consisted of over 500 flying hours and 850 spins. According to Cessna’s Senior Vice President for Aircraft Development, Bruce Peterman:

“The receipt of this type of certificate represents the successful culmination of 18 months of intensive effort by a dedicated Cessna and subcontractor team to design, build, and certify a state-of-the-art training airplane specifically for the JPATS. . .Awarding of the contract to Cessna would result in the addition of more than 2,000 US-based jobs at the peak of the program.”

On 22 June 1995, DoD awarded the Beech/Pilatus team the JPATS contract for its missionized Pilatus PC-9 Mk II, now designated the T-6A Texan II.

As a former USAF instructor pilot with many years experience in both the Cessna T-37 and the supersonic Northrop T-38, I still find it difficult to understand why USAF allowed the US Navy to steamroller them into accepting a turboprop trainer, since USAF has only one front line turboprop in its inventory (the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules). It feels like three steps forward, two steps backward to me. And I would have preferred to have my tax dollars spent on the only all-American entry.

But, of course, nobody asked me.