Hawker Beechcraft Corporation awarded Iraqi Air Force contract for T-6 Aircraft

The contract is from the United States Government and represents a government-to-government agreement between Iraq and the U.S.

"This contract marks the beginning of what will be a beneficial relationship with the Iraqi Air Force," said Jim Maslowski, president, U.S. and International Government Business.

"The T-6A is the most successful primary trainer in the world. Its training and flying capabilities are characteristic of HBC's world-class military training programs and operations, and it will make an excellent addition to the Iraqi Air Force fleet."

The contract also includes ground based training systems, spares, contract logistics support, maintenance, post production support and technical publications, as well as options for follow-on aircraft and support.

The T-6 offers military organizations worldwide the most proven and most cost-effective training system available today.

The T-6 is a primary trainer aircraft that accommodates instruction in instrument flight procedures and basic aerial maneuvers.

To date, it has been used to train pilots in approximately 20 different countries. The HBC military training platform also recently achieved significant milestones when the T-6 reached one million flight hours and delivery of the 500th T-6 airplane occurred.

The T-6A is currently in service as the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy's Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) aircraft, as well as the primary, weapons and navigation trainer with the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program, the Hellenic Air Force of Greece and the Israeli Air Force.

HBC and its predecessor company have delivered more than 500 aircraft and 90 aircrew training devices to various major training installations throughout the U.S. since its first deliveries started in 2000.