Mustang X-Ray

Mustang X-Ray is the French Air & Space Force’s two-ship PC-21 tactical demonstration, showcasing the advanced training system now used to produce France’s fast-jet crews. The team flies out of BA 709 Cognac-Châteaubernard with crews drawn from the fighter training school EAC/EPAA 00.315 “Christian Martel”. Displays mix tight formation passes, opposition maneuvers and dynamic solo sequences that highlight the PC-21’s jet-like handling and modern cockpit.

Formed in 2021, Mustang X-Ray has since appeared widely across Europe—including a UK debut at RIAT 2022—as an active, ambassadorial unit for France’s re-engineered pilot training pipeline.

Role & origin. The PC-21 is Pilatus’s next-generation turboprop trainer developed to move much of the fast-jet syllabus onto a highly capable, efficient platform. Development began in the late 1990s; the prototype flew in 2002 and the type entered service during the 2000s.

Layout & powerplant. Tandem two-seat, pressurised trainer powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68B (≈1,600 shp) driving a five-blade propeller. The airframe is stressed to about +8/-4 g and features digital power management, HOTAS controls, dual HUDs and three MFDs that emulate modern fighter avionics and weapons pages.

Performance highlights. Maximum speed around 685 km/h (≈370 kt), service ceiling roughly 38,000 ft, and range on the order of 1,300+ km—with embedded simulation enabling radar/weapon emulation and complex tactical training without a jet.

France selected the PC-21 in 2017 to modernise basic and advanced fast-jet training at Cognac, replacing the TB-30 Epsilon and taking over much of the Alpha Jet syllabus via embedded simulation. The first aircraft arrived at BA 709 in 2018, and the first PC-21-trained pilots graduated in 2020.

An additional order in 2021 expanded the fleet to 26 PC-21s, consolidating a training system that blends high-fidelity simulators and the aircraft’s onboard emulation. The result is a streamlined pipeline that prepares crews for the Rafale and other frontline types while reducing cost per flying hour versus legacy jets.

Within that ecosystem, Mustang X-Ray serves as the public-facing demonstration of the PC-21’s capability and the professionalism of EAC/EPAA 00.315 instructors.

• Mustang X-Ray typically displays with a two-ship profile—tight formation, opposition passes and a dynamic solo segment.
• The team is based with the fighter aviation school EAC/EPAA 00.315 “Christian Martel” at BA 709, Cognac.
• PC-21 avionics allow instructors to inject synthetic radar and weapons cues, reducing the need to fly actual jets during early tactics training.
• Airframes seen at RIAT 2022 included PC-21s marked 709-FD/02 and 709-FF/04.
• The PC-21’s pressurised cockpit, dual HUDs and HOTAS mirror modern fighters—pilots step to jets with far less relearning.