The U.S. Air Force Academy has placed an order for 25 T-53A trainers with Cirrus Aircraft for its Airmanship Training Program.
The value of the purchase is about $6.1 million, according to Cirrus.
The 25 aircraft will be based at the academy’s airfield near Colorado Springs.
Delivery will start this summer and continue through next year. Each of the planes will be equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, airbag seatbelts, an integrated fuselage roll cage and a cuffed wing design.
Lt. Col. Brad Oliver of the academy’s 557th Flying Training Squadron said the academy has been studying the replacement of its existing trainer fleet since 2010.
Oliver said the T-53 meets or exceeds the academy’s performance and operational criteria.
The T-53 is “well-suited to our mission,” said Oliver. “And,while we hope we will never need it, our cadets and instructors will now have the option of ‘pulling the chute’ if it’s needed.”
Jon Dauplaise, Cirrus vice president of domestic sales, said he was confident that the cadets and their instructors will benefit from the T-53’s safety features.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
