Textron’s purpose-built light cargo plane will take on a whole new role following a deal with the Belgian air force. The company has sold five of its twin turboprop SkyCouriers to the country for use by its special forces units. It turns out the rapid deployment in a variety of circumstances that characterize package delivery operations meet military mission profiles too. “The SkyCourier’s combination of rugged performance, low operating cost and the ability to operate from short and unimproved runways makes it a powerful solution for customers who need dependable lift in unpredictable environments,” said Travis Tyler, CEO of Textron Aviation Defense.
The SkyCourier was designed in conjunction with FedEx to serve as a short-hop package delivery platform. It fits three standard airliner cargo containers in a capacious cargo compartment. With all that room and the rugged construction to handle the many cycles that kind of service demands, the military potential was seen early. “Designed for reliability and mission adaptability, the twin‑engine, high‑wing turboprop offers flexible cabin configurations, significant payload capacity and proven performance in austere settings,” the Textron news release said. The planes will be delivered green to Sabena Engineering through 2027 to be outfitted for the commandos and Textron will help with that integration. The value of the deal was not disclosed.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the SkyCourier holds two airline cargo containers. It actually holds three.
How does it compare to a DHC6? They covered the L.A. basin airports in the ’60 and ’70s…which makes how ever many remaining pretty old. They did at the many, many airports what the proposed EV air taxis want to do now.