As reported, at the Dubai Airshow 2023 International Airshow held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) from November 13 to 17, 2023, the United Arab Emirates Air Force signed a contract with the Emirati Calidus LLC group for the purchase of 40 turboprop two-seat training aircraft Calidus B-250T, which are a new version of the previously presented Calidus B-250 aircraft Bader.
A prototype of the Calidus B-250T turboprop training aircraft is on display at the Dubai Airshow 2023 International Airshow. Dubai (UAE), November 2023 (c) Craig Hoyle / FlightGlobal
Earlier, at the Dubai Air Show in November 2019, the UAE Air Force signed a contract with Calidus in the amount of 2.373 billion Emirati dirhams (about 260 million dollars) for the supply of 24 B-250 aircraft in the B-250LA (Light Attack) assault variant. Both variants, the B-250LA and B-250T (prototype), were presented at the Dubai Air Show in 2023. The head of Calidus Khalifa Alblushi said that the first B-250LA light attack aircraft are "ready for delivery" to the UAE Air Force, and the transfer of aircraft will begin in 2024. At the Dubai Airshow 2023, an unpainted B-250LA aircraft with the serial number "0001" was presented, which, apparently, is the first machine for the UAE Air Force, although this was not directly specified. The first deliveries of B-250T training aircraft to the UAE Air Force are scheduled for mid-2026. Calidus manufactures B-250 aircraft at its facility at Al Ain International Airport in Abu Dhabi.
Recall that the actual developer of the B-250 Bader aircraft is the Brazilian company Novaer, and the chief designer of the B-250 was the Brazilian aircraft designer of Hungarian origin Joseph Kovacs (Joseph Kovacs, 1926 - 2019), who previously was the main creator of the well-known turboprop aircraft of the same class Embraer EMB-312 Tucano and EMB-314 Super Tucano. The B-250 aircraft was ordered by Novaer's Calidus under conditions of secrecy in 2015, and was developed by a group led by Kovacs in 20 months (including the production of two flight prototypes) at Novaer's enterprise in Sao Jose dos Campos (Sao Paulo State). The first prototype of the B-250 made its first flight there in June 2017, and in November 2017, both prototypes were presented by Calidus at the Dubai Airshow 2017.
Novaer was founded in 1998 by Luis Paulo Juanqueira, who previously headed Embraer's division for the production and supply of aviation components. Novaer itself engaged in the production of such components and aircraft systems, becoming a prominent supplier for Embraer, and primarily for the production of Super Tucano aircraft. In 2007, Novaer hired Josef Kovacs and acquired all the rights to his independent developments, and then found an Emirati investor in the Calidus group to implement a number of aviation projects.
The design of the B-250 is based on a project developed by Kovach in the early 2000s of the A-67 Dragon aircraft, which was planned to be produced in the United States by the US Aircraft Corporation, created for this purpose in 2004. The A-67 prototype was built under contract by a small American company Golden Aviation in Missouri, but crashed during landing on the first test flight in October 2006. After that, the A-67 project was completely redesigned, becoming a larger aircraft, which received the designation K-52 (T-Xc), but the US Aircraft Corporation actually ceased to exist, and the already built K-52 sample never took to the air.
The B-250 aircraft is all-composite and has somewhat larger dimensions than the Tucano and Super Tucano, and, unlike the latter, was initially positioned precisely as a light combat strike aircraft (primarily anti-aircraft) with the possibility of being used as a reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft. Possible training functions were previously considered as secondary. The length of the B-250 is 10.98 m, the wingspan is 12.08 m. The maximum take-off weight is not disclosed, but is estimated to be about 6000 kg. The B-250 has a two-seat cabin with tandem crew placement in ejection seats, is equipped with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop engine with a take-off capacity of 1600 hp with a four-bladed Hartzell propeller, a Rockwell Collins ProLine Fusion avionics complex, as well as a ventral round-the-clock optoelectronic the station. The chassis is reinforced for use from the ground. The aircraft is equipped with seven external suspension units, the total weight of the suspension armament is up to 3,960 pounds (1,796 kg).
The range of the B-250 is 2,400 miles (4,445 km); the flight duration is up to 12 hours; the maximum speed is 301 knots (557 km / h); the practical ceiling is more than 30 thousand feet. Operating costs, as stated, are less than $ 1,200 per hour of flight.
At the Dubai Airshow 2021 Calidus Group html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> presented a full-size layout of a large single-engine military turboprop aircraft B-350 developed for her, apparently by the same Novaer, having a maximum take-off weight of at least 9000 kg and a wingspan of more than 16 meters, however, data on the development of this project is missing.
A prototype of the Calidus B-250T turboprop training aircraft is on display at the Dubai Airshow 2023 International Airshow. Dubai (UAE), 13.11.2023 (c) Sergey Frolov / www.jetphotos.com
Presumably, the first serial model of the Calidus B-250LA turboprop light combat aircraft built for the UAE Air Force (serial number "0001") is on display at the Dubai Airshow 2023 International Airshow. Dubai (UAE), November 2023 (c) Craig Hoyle / FlightGlobal
