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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references (ideally, using inline citations). Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008) PC-12 Pilatus PC-12 Sentinel of the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Role Passenger and United States Air Force Number built 750+[citation needed] Unit cost About US$3.48 million Base Price. US$4.0 Million PC-12NG Executive Configuration[citation needed] The Pilatus PC-12 is a single-engine turboprop passenger and cargo aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. The main market for the aircraft is corporate transport and regional airliner operators. Contents [hide] 1 Design and development 2 Operational history 3 Accidents and incidents 4 Variants 5 Operators 5.1 Civilian 5.2 Police 5.3 Ambulance 5.4 Military 6 Specifications (PC-12) 7 See also 8 References 9 External links // Design and development Pilatus announced the development of the PC-12 at the annual convention of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) in October 1989. The first flight of the first of two prototypes took place on May 31, 1991. Certification of the type was originally planned for mid-1991 but a redesign of the wings (increase of wing span and addition of winglets to ensure performance guarantees were met) delayed this. Swiss certification finally took place on March 30, As with many other Pilatus aircraft, the PC-12 is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine (the PT6A-67B). It is certified for single-pilot IFR operations, though operators may choose to utilize a second flight crew member. Pilatus offers the PC-12 in a standard nine-seat airliner form, in a four-passenger seat/freight Combi version, and as a six-seat corporate transport with an option for a seven-seat by adding a three-seat bench in place of seats five and six.[1] A pure freighter model is under consideration. Pilatus PC-12 The PC-12M (Multipurpose) is based on the PC-12, but equipped with a more powerful electrical generation system that enables integration of additional power-consuming equipment. This enables the PC-12M to perform special missions such as flight inspection, air ambulance, parachutist dropping, aerial photography, and aerial surveillance. This version is marketed in the United States as the PC-12 Spectre paramilitary special missions platform. The U-28A is the United States Air Force variant of the PC-12 for intra-theater support of special operations forces. The 319th Special Operations Squadron is stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida at the headquarters of the Air Force Special Operations Command. Pilatus unveiled the PC-12NG (Next Generation) | ||||
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