Pilatus P-3


The Pilatus P-3 was a military training aircraft built by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland.

Design and development

The Pilatus P-3 was designed for primary and advanced training. The military version was designated P-3-03. It was of all-metal construction with a retractable tricycle undercarriage and tandem seating. There was provision for underwing racks for light practice bombs or rockets and a machine gun in a pod below the port wing.

Operational history

The first prototype was built in 1953 and flew on 3 September, the same year. The Swiss Air Force received 72 examples of this aircraft while the Brazilian Navy acquired six. The Swiss Air Force used the P-3 as a training aircraft until 1983, although it continued to be used as a liaison aircraft for another decade. In 1993–1995, 65 ex-Swiss Air Force aircraft were sold on the private market.

Operators

The P-3 Flyers is an independent air display team based in Switzerland. Formed in 1996. it currently operates five ex-Swiss Air Force P3 aircraft.

Specifications (Pilatus P-3-03)