French Navy Set to Receive PC-24 Jets to Improve Operations from Short and Unpaved Airstrips
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Pilatus will provide three PC-24 Super Versatile Jets that Jet Aviation France will lease to the French Navy, with the first aircraft due in February 2026. The deal accelerates fleet renewal and brings short-runway, unpaved-surface capability, single-pilot ops and a cargo door to daily training and liaison tasks.
On 29 October 2025, Pilatus announced that three PC-24 “Super Versatile Jet” aircraft will be leased to the French Navy, with first delivery planned for February 2026, as reported by Pilatus. The program is structured through Jet Aviation France as prime contractor and lessor, a model chosen to speed entry into service and secure through-life support. This move responds to an urgent fleet renewal need while aligning with a broader trend among European forces to outsource sustainment and shift capital expenditure into predictable operating costs. Pilatus says the PC-24 will be tasked primarily with IFR pilot training, liaison and transport roles where short-runway performance, single-pilot certification and a standard cargo door give it a unique edge.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The Pilatus PC-24 is a twin-engine “Super Versatile Jet” combining light-jet speed with short- and unpaved-runway operations, single-pilot certification, a standard cargo door, and a rapidly reconfigurable cabin for training, transport, and light logistics (Picture Source: Pilatus Aircraft)
Pilatus’s PC-24 is a light twin-jet optimized for austere access and multi-role government missions. Powered by two Williams FJ44-4A turbofans, it cruises up to 440 KTAS, climbs directly to FL450 in about 27 minutes, and operates from short strips, balanced field length 3,090 ft at MTOW, with landing distance over a 50-ft obstacle of 2,410 ft. Certified to 45,000 ft, it offers a ferry range of 2,123 nm and around 2,000 nm with six passengers, while the large pressurized baggage hold and pallet-sized cargo door (approx. 1.30 × 1.25 m) ease reconfiguration between training, liaison and light logistics tasks. The official factsheet figures help explain the rationale behind positioning the PC-24 as a business jet uniquely suited to rough-field environments.
The French Navy’s choice is driven by mission fit and immediate replacement needs. The PC-24s are set to take over parts of the Falcon 10 Mer (DA10) support mission set, most notably IFR training for naval aviators at Landivisiau, while also performing liaison and VIP/utility transport. The airframe’s single-pilot certification reduces crew burden for routine liaison sorties; its short-field clearance and unpaved runway approval expand access to secondary airfields, ranges and overseas outstations; and the cargo door plus flat-floor cabin allow quick turnarounds for flight checks and light freight.
From a development and service-entry perspective, the PC-24 traces its roots to Pilatus’s decision in the late 2000s to pair business-jet speed with PC-12-style versatility. The jet was unveiled in 2013, rolled out in 2014, flew in 2015, and achieved EASA/FAA type certification in December 2017, with first deliveries in early 2018. Since then, the platform has accumulated a global user base across charter, government and special-mission operators, while Pilatus has continued to refine the ACE cockpit and cabin options. This maturity matters for a military customer introducing a new type on a tight schedule.
Strategically, the lease introduces a modern, low-footprint jet that expands the Navy’s training and mobility options at relatively modest operating cost and with strong availability guarantees. Jet Aviation’s sustainment package, covering on-site line and base maintenance and CAMO, reduces downtime risk; Pilatus’s CrystalCare support further underwrites availability. The combination should deliver high sortie rates for IFR continuation, check flights and liaison missions without competing for scarce hours on combat or surveillance fleets, smoothing pilot pipelines and staff movement while freeing heavier assets for operational tasking.
As for prior defense contracts, the PC-24 already has a military track record outside Europe: the Qatar Emiri Air Force ordered two aircraft in late 2020 (revealed in April 2021) for VIP and multi-engine training roles, with deliveries following thereafter. Pilatus also delivered a PC-24 to Switzerland for federal government VIP transport operated by the Swiss Air Force, illustrating government service use, even if Pilatus now highlights France as the first European military operator in a dedicated military context. These precedents suggest the type’s government mission set is proven, and support Pilatus’s positioning of the PC-24 as a state operator’s “utility jet.”
In practical terms, this represents a timely enhancement of training and liaison capabilities through an aircraft suited to operate in environments where heavier jets may be less effective, all supported by a unified industrial partner across acquisition and sustainment. Should the three aircraft meet performance expectations, the French Navy may increasingly integrate light, rough-field-capable jets into its core training and mobility roles, an approach that could be of interest to other services navigating comparable fleet modernization challenges.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Pilatus will provide three PC-24 Super Versatile Jets that Jet Aviation France will lease to the French Navy, with the first aircraft due in February 2026. The deal accelerates fleet renewal and brings short-runway, unpaved-surface capability, single-pilot ops and a cargo door to daily training and liaison tasks.
On 29 October 2025, Pilatus announced that three PC-24 “Super Versatile Jet” aircraft will be leased to the French Navy, with first delivery planned for February 2026, as reported by Pilatus. The program is structured through Jet Aviation France as prime contractor and lessor, a model chosen to speed entry into service and secure through-life support. This move responds to an urgent fleet renewal need while aligning with a broader trend among European forces to outsource sustainment and shift capital expenditure into predictable operating costs. Pilatus says the PC-24 will be tasked primarily with IFR pilot training, liaison and transport roles where short-runway performance, single-pilot certification and a standard cargo door give it a unique edge.
The Pilatus PC-24 is a twin-engine “Super Versatile Jet” combining light-jet speed with short- and unpaved-runway operations, single-pilot certification, a standard cargo door, and a rapidly reconfigurable cabin for training, transport, and light logistics (Picture Source: Pilatus Aircraft)
Pilatus’s PC-24 is a light twin-jet optimized for austere access and multi-role government missions. Powered by two Williams FJ44-4A turbofans, it cruises up to 440 KTAS, climbs directly to FL450 in about 27 minutes, and operates from short strips, balanced field length 3,090 ft at MTOW, with landing distance over a 50-ft obstacle of 2,410 ft. Certified to 45,000 ft, it offers a ferry range of 2,123 nm and around 2,000 nm with six passengers, while the large pressurized baggage hold and pallet-sized cargo door (approx. 1.30 × 1.25 m) ease reconfiguration between training, liaison and light logistics tasks. The official factsheet figures help explain the rationale behind positioning the PC-24 as a business jet uniquely suited to rough-field environments.
The French Navy’s choice is driven by mission fit and immediate replacement needs. The PC-24s are set to take over parts of the Falcon 10 Mer (DA10) support mission set, most notably IFR training for naval aviators at Landivisiau, while also performing liaison and VIP/utility transport. The airframe’s single-pilot certification reduces crew burden for routine liaison sorties; its short-field clearance and unpaved runway approval expand access to secondary airfields, ranges and overseas outstations; and the cargo door plus flat-floor cabin allow quick turnarounds for flight checks and light freight.
From a development and service-entry perspective, the PC-24 traces its roots to Pilatus’s decision in the late 2000s to pair business-jet speed with PC-12-style versatility. The jet was unveiled in 2013, rolled out in 2014, flew in 2015, and achieved EASA/FAA type certification in December 2017, with first deliveries in early 2018. Since then, the platform has accumulated a global user base across charter, government and special-mission operators, while Pilatus has continued to refine the ACE cockpit and cabin options. This maturity matters for a military customer introducing a new type on a tight schedule.
Strategically, the lease introduces a modern, low-footprint jet that expands the Navy’s training and mobility options at relatively modest operating cost and with strong availability guarantees. Jet Aviation’s sustainment package, covering on-site line and base maintenance and CAMO, reduces downtime risk; Pilatus’s CrystalCare support further underwrites availability. The combination should deliver high sortie rates for IFR continuation, check flights and liaison missions without competing for scarce hours on combat or surveillance fleets, smoothing pilot pipelines and staff movement while freeing heavier assets for operational tasking.
As for prior defense contracts, the PC-24 already has a military track record outside Europe: the Qatar Emiri Air Force ordered two aircraft in late 2020 (revealed in April 2021) for VIP and multi-engine training roles, with deliveries following thereafter. Pilatus also delivered a PC-24 to Switzerland for federal government VIP transport operated by the Swiss Air Force, illustrating government service use, even if Pilatus now highlights France as the first European military operator in a dedicated military context. These precedents suggest the type’s government mission set is proven, and support Pilatus’s positioning of the PC-24 as a state operator’s “utility jet.”
In practical terms, this represents a timely enhancement of training and liaison capabilities through an aircraft suited to operate in environments where heavier jets may be less effective, all supported by a unified industrial partner across acquisition and sustainment. Should the three aircraft meet performance expectations, the French Navy may increasingly integrate light, rough-field-capable jets into its core training and mobility roles, an approach that could be of interest to other services navigating comparable fleet modernization challenges.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
