Cirrus Aircraft chosen for French Air Force

Cirrus Aircraft reported that Cirrus SR20s and SR22s have been selected by Cassidian Aviation Training Services (CATS) in a public tender for the French Air Force and Navy. A fleet of 13 Cirrus SR20s will be dedicated for training pilots at the French air force base of Salon de Provence. An additional fleet of seven Cirrus SR22s will be dedicated to training flights of navigating officers arm systems (NOSA) and liaison flights, in particular to accompany the French Air Force’s aerobatic team. Through the agreement with CATS, another fleet of three Cirrus SR20s will be dedicated to the students of the Ecole Navale at the naval air station of Lanveoc Poulmic. CATS will be in charge of maintenance and airworthiness of all fleets.  The transaction was handled by Cirrus France. Each aircraft delivered to the French Air Force will be equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), airbag seatbelts, Cirrus Perspective by Garmin avionics and all the active and passive safety systems and features that are standard on all Cirrus aircraft. Specific options such as UHF and G-Meter will also be equipped in the entire fleet.