B-250 | |
---|---|
Calidus B-250 at Dubai Air Show 2019 | |
Role | Military trainer/light attack aircraft |
National origin | United Arab Emirates/Brazil |
Manufacturer | Calidus |
Design group | Novaer |
First flight | July 2017 [1] |
Status | In production |
Primary user | United Arab Emirates Air Force |
Number built | 2 (as of January 2018) [1] |
The Calidus B-250 is a tandem-seat, turboprop, light attack aircraft with counter-insurgency capability. Its structure is constructed entirely of carbon fiber, thus making it much lighter than its competitors. [2] It has 7 hard points for placing weapons as well as EO/IR. [3] It has Pro Line Fusion II avionics systems supplied by the American company Rockwell Collins. [4]
The B-250 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a retractable tricycle landing gear. It has an enclosed cockpit with two Martin-Baker ejection seats in tandem. It has a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6A-68 turboprop in tractor configuration. It was designed and developed in Brazil by Novaer, with mass production to be undertaken by Calidus in the United Arab Emirates. [5] The chief designer for the project was Joseph Kovács who created the Embraer Tucano. [5]
In 2019, 24 aircraft were ordered by the United Arab Emirates Air Force at the 2019 Dubai Airshow. [6]
Data from Air International [1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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