Update: Vietnam receives five T-6C trainer aircraft

Beechcraft T-6C aircraft destined for the Vietnam People's Air Force are parked on a flight line in Canada before they are scheduled to make the flight to the southeast Asian country. (Beechcraft/US Department of Defense)

The US government has delivered the first five of 12 contracted Textron Beechcraft T-6C Texan II training and light combat aircraft to the Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF).

The aircraft arrived at Phan Thiet Air Base in southeastern Vietnam on 20 November. Vietnam's acquisition of the aircraft is part of a joint agreement by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence and the US Air Force (USAF) in June 2021. The USAF agreed to not only supply 12 T-6Cs to Hanoi but will also support the procurement with a basic pilot training programme, engineering, logistics, and spare parts.

“The T-6C trainer aircraft [will] operationalise and improve the [VPAF's] pilot training programme,” the US Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam said in a press statement on 20 November.

The US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) described the T-6C Texan II as “a next-generation military trainer designed to prepare pilots for a wide range of missions”. According to the PACAF, the VPAF will incorporate the aircraft into its pilot training programme at Phan Thiet Air Base, in southwestern Vietnam.

VPAF Commander Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Hien, said that the T-6Cs will complement the air force's training capabilities and interoperability, while “meeting the requirements of training military pilots, mission readiness, [and] homeland protection”. According to Lt Gen Nguyen, Vietnam will commit to collaboration with the US in “exploiting and utilising T-6C aircraft in the most effective manner“ for training and other assignments in the VPAF.