Team SkyAlyne has successfully completed Factory Acceptance of the first CT-157 Siskin II (Pilatus PC-21) aircraft at the Pilatus production facility in Stans, Switzerland, marking another important milestone in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program.
Factory acceptance represents a critical step in the aircraft delivery process, ensuring the aircraft meets all contractual and performance requirements prior to transit to Canada later this year. The acceptance activities included comprehensive inspections and verification of aircraft systems, avionics, and overall build quality, conducted in close collaboration with representatives from SkyAlyne, the RCAF, KF Aerospace, Pilatus and the Government of Canada.
This milestone, marked by a ceremony attended by Hon. Stephen Fuhr (Secretary of State for Defence Procurement), His Excellency Ambassador Jean-Paul Lemieux (Ambassador of Canada to Switzerland and Liechtenstein), Mr. Peter Saunders (Director General, Integrated Air Missile Defence, RCAF), Ms. France Hebert (President, SkyAlyne, and President, Defence & Security – Canada and International, CAE), Mr. Peter Fedak (Vice President, Defence Programs, KF Aerospace), Harrison Ruess (Head of Communications, Collaboration, and Stakeholder Relations, SkyAlyne), and Ioannis Papachristofilou (VP Government Aviation & Deputy CEO, Pilatus) and others, builds on continued progress at the Pilatus facility, where production and testing activities are advancing steadily on Canada’s fleet of 19 CT-157s.
The platform is also a strong example of shared economic benefits between Canada and Switzerland. Every PC-21 produced for global customers, including those acquired by SkyAlyne for the RCAF, includes Canadian components, including the powerplant and critical elements of the avionics system.
In Canada, the CT-157 Siskin II will serve as the training aircraft for both the Advanced Flying Training – Fixed Wing (AFT-FW) course, as well as the Advanced Flying Training – Jet (AFT-Jet) course in the FAcT program. The two-seat aircraft, featuring a 1,600 horsepower PT6A Pratt & Whitney Canada turboprop engine, can reach speeds of 685 km/h. The aircraft can sustain G-forces from positive 8G to negative 4G, ensuring capability to fully meet the demands of military aviation training.
FAcT is an all-encompassing 25-year solution that will deliver ab-initio training to RCAF Pilots, Air Combat Systems Officers (ACSOs), and Airborne Electronic Sensor Operators (AES Ops). SkyAlyne, a joint venture of CAE and KF Aerospace, is the Prime Contractor and industry partner to the RCAF on FAcT. The program is currently in a multi-year transition period to become the sole ab initio Pilot and Aircrew training program for the RCAF, as the current three separate RCAF training programs conclude, and their responsibilities are combined into FAcT.
The FAcT program is overseen from a Joint Management Office at SkyAlyne’s Ottawa headquarters, with three operational bases: Moose Jaw, SK, Southport, MB, and Winnipeg, MB. The CT-157 fleet will be based at 15 Wing Moose Jaw. The first four CT-157s are expected to arrive in Canada in the second half of 2026.
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