Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. is an aerospace manufacturer located in Stans, Switzerland. In August 2025, the company employed around 3,000 people.
The company has mostly produced aircraft for niche markets, in particular short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft as well as military training aircraft. During the 1950s and 1960s, Pilatus developed a short takeoff and landing (STOL) light civil transport aircraft, the PC-6 Porter. In 1973, it was decided to restart work on a turbine version of the piston engine trainer P-3, which entered production as the PC-7 Turbo Trainer. In 1979, Pilatus acquired Britten-Norman, manufacturer of the Britten-Norman Islander and Britten-Norman Defender aircraft. During the 1980s, it developed the PC-9, an improved derivative of the PC-7.
During the 1990s, Pilatus opened up a broader civilian market with the introduction of the PC-12, a single-engine turboprop aircraft and has delivered 1,800 as of April 2021. In the 2000s, it also introduced a new member family of its military training aircraft, the turboprop-powered PC-21. During the 2010s, the company developed the PC-24, a twin-engined STOL jet aircraft capable of operating from unpaved runways.
History
1939–1949 In August 1938 Vickers offered Spitfire aircraft to the Swiss Kriegstechnische Abteilung (KTA). Antoine Gazda, working as a sales manager for the Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon, negotiated a licence agreement with Vickers and offered swiss-built Spitfires to the Flugwaffe. On October 21, 1938, a society named «Studiengesellschaft zur Gründung einer Flugzeugfabrik AG» was founded and designated the future company to be located at Stans.Schweizer Soldat: Militärisches AllerleiBand (Jahr): 14 (1938-1939), Heft 5, S. 74 However the authorities decided to buy complete aircraft from Messerschmitt in Germany. Without the now obsolete «Studiengesellschaft», Emil Bührle and Gazda continued on the project and founded the Pilatus Flugzeugwerke AG with the help of Elektrobank on December 16, 1939.Jakob Tanner: Was die geplatzte Spitfire-Beschaffung mit der Gründung der Pilatus-Flugzeugwerke zu tun hat, NZZ, October 20th, 2020Letter of Antoine Gazda to Bandi, in: Peter Hug: Schweizer Rüstungsindustrie und Kriegsmaterialhandel zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus. Chronos, Zürich 2002, S. 874–876.Kriegsgeschäfte, Kapital und Kunsthaus, Forschungsstelle für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte am Lehrstuhl Prof. Dr. Matthieu Leimgruber, Universität Zürich, im Auftrag des Präsidialdepartements der Stadt Zürich und der Direktion der Justiz und des Innern des Kantons Zürich, Zürich, November 2020 Construction of a production building started in March 1940. After forming, the company obtained contracts to do maintenance and repairs for the Swiss Air Force. The first venture of the new company was the assembly of EKW C-35 reconnaissance biplanes from spare parts, along with overhaul work on other types.
The first company proposal to the Swiss Air Force was a single-seat trainer, designated the P-1, although no records exist of the work done on it and not even the name of the project was ever mentionedRoland Eichenberger: Pilatus Flugzeuge: 1939–1989, Pilatus Flugzeugwerke jubilee publication, Stans 1989. on the two drawings that were discovered in the federal archives.Kuno Gross: Studienbüro für Spezialflugzeuge - Pilatus SB-2 Pelican: Das Schweizer Bergflugzeug, ISBN 978-3-7494-3640-8, page 56 The next project was the detail construction of the SB-2 Pelican which had been designed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.Kuno Gross: Studienbüro für Spezialflugzeuge - Pilatus SB-2 Pelican: Das Schweizer Bergflugzeug online preview with details on the story that led to the SB-2 from page 13 The five-seat experimental aircraft first flew on 30 May 1944 and only one of the type was built - resulting in a financial loss for the company that was higher than what it was ever paid for.Kuno Gross: Studienbüro für Spezialflugzeuge - Pilatus SB-2 Pelican: Das Schweizer Bergflugzeug page 176
In 1942, the company won a contract from the Swiss military to modify 33 EKW C-3603. Following on from the abandoned P-1 design, the company started again on the development of a two-seat trainer, designated the P-2. The P-2 first flew on 27 April 1945, and the company won an order for the Swiss Air Force.
During 1945, the company produced a prototype single-engined light transport, designated the P-4. It made its first flight on 22 March 1948, but only one P-4 was ultimately completed. During the late 1940s, the company produced a number of wooden glider designs, and also handled the production of fuselages and tail-booms for the licence-produced De Havilland Vampire and Venom.
1950–1959 During 1951, the company worked on the P-5, a design project for an artillery observation aircraft, but it was not built. The P-3 was put into quantity production for the Swiss Air Force, and the company also achieved its first export success with the type: an order for six P-3s by the Brazilian Navy.
During 1958, Pilatus began design work on a short takeoff and landing (STOL) light civil transport aircraft which emerged as the PC-6 Porter; this aircraft first flew on 4 May 1959.Taylor 1965, pp. 126–127. The Porter was also manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. Roughly 100 of these licence-produced aircraft would be completed, being mainly purchased by civil operators within the US.Moll 1993, p. 64.
1960–1969 The initial turbine-powered models of the PC-6 were equipped with the Astazou II powerplant, however complaints of the reliability of this engine were made. Another early turboprop powerplant that became available for the PC-6 was the Garrett Air Research TPE 331. Some operators such as Air America chose to retrofit their Astazou II-powered PC-6s with the TPE 331 engine in its place.Leeker, Joe F. "Air America: Pilatus / Fairchild PC-6 Turbo Porters." University of Texas at Dallas, 24 August 2015. Both the piston and turbine-engine versions of the PC-6 became quickly known for their Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) capabilities, requiring only a very short takeoff run before being ready for rotation prior to taking off.Fricker 1962, p. 102.
Furthermore, during 1965, a twin-engined variant of the PC-6 was built as the PC-8 Twin Porter, although it first flew on 15 November 1967, the aircraft remained an experimental and one-off type, and development was stopped in 1972. Another project, the PC-10, a 16-passenger twin-engined transport, was also kicked off by the company; however, it was not ultimately put into production.
In 1966, a turboprop-powered variant of the P-3 was flown, and was designated the PC-7. This aircraft was lost in a crash, leading to development of the type being put on hold until the 1970s.Air International September 1979, p. 112. The termination of work was reportedly driven by a lack of market interest at that time."Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer." Forecast International, September 1999.
1970–1979 In a departure from the production of trainers and Porters, the company bought the rights to the all-metal B-4 glider; Pilatus re-designed the B-4 for easier production and redesignated at the B-4/PC-11. The PC-11 first flew on 5 May 1972 and the company went on to build 322.
During 1973, it was decided to restart work on the PC-7 programme; factors for its revival had included the 1973 oil crisis, the launch of the rival Beechcraft T-34C Turbo-Mentor, and the increasing age of existing trainer aircraft. In 1975, a further PC-7 prototype was flown; following further development, it entered production as the PC-7 Turbo Trainer. On 12 August 1978, the first production standard aircraft made its first flight; on 5 December of that year, Switzerland's Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) issued civil certification for the PC-7. Over time, sales of the PC-7 generated considerable profits, allowing the company to finance the development of further types of aircraft.Wastnage, Justin. "Pilatus ponders additions to civilian aircraft offering." Flight International, 26 February 2002.
In 1979, Pilatus acquired Britten-Norman, constructor of the Britten-Norman Islander and Britten-Norman Defender aircraft; this move led to the business being restructured as the Pilatus Britten-Norman company. Shortly thereafter, production activity on the Islander/Defender family was transferred to its Bembridge.Simpson 1991, p. 77.Goold, Ian. "Britten-Norman Islander celebrates 40th anniversary." AIN Online, 16 October 2006. Under the new company's direction, new features were installed upon the Islander over the years, such as the fitting of silencers upon both the aircraft's engine and propellers to better facilitate operations in noise-sensitive environments."Pilatus Britten-Norman will adopt Islander silencer." Flight International, 7 January 1998.
1980–1989 During 1982, development of an improved variant of the PC-7 was started, it emerged as the Pilatus PC-9 in 1984. It retained the overall layout of its predecessor, but the aircraft had very little structural commonality with it. Amongst other improvements, the PC-9 features a larger cockpit with stepped ejection seats and also has a ventral airbrake. Certification was achieved in September 1985.
Development of what was to become the company's best selling type, the Pilatus PC-12, was started in 1987, a single-engined turboprop transport that could carry up to twelve passengers or freight. In October 1989, Pilatus announced the development of the PC-12 at the annual convention of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)."Booming Business." Flight International, 23 September 1989.
1990–1999 The prototype PC-12 was flown on 31 May 1991. On 30 March 1994, the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation issued the type certificate for the PC-12; The first PC-12 Eagle surveillance aircraft was built in 1995, further developments led to the PC-12 Spectre; amongst other customers, it was adopted by the United States Air Force as the U-28A. Since entering service, Pilatus developed a large number of improvements and options upon the original PC-12 model; changes include increases in the maximum takeoff weight, the use of increasingly powerful engines, the adoption of new avionics, noise-reduction measures, new propellers, speed and range increases, additional interiors and new inflight entertainment systems.Grady, Mary. "Pilatus Offers New Upgrades for It's PC-12 NG." Robb Report, 19 March 2014.
During 1997, TSA Transairco SA of Geneva was acquired by Pilatus. In 1998, Pilatus Australia Pty Ltd was established, while Britten-Norman was sold.
2000–2009 To further its family of military training aircraft, the turboprop PC-21 was developed and first flown in 2002. A key aim for the PC-21 was to allow jet aircraft pilots to perform the majority of their training using the type before converting to jet-powered types, allowing operators to make substantial savings. In order to achieve this aim, the new trainer was required to have an expanded performance envelope in terms of aerodynamics, cockpit equipment, flexibility, and ease of maintenance.Hoyle, Craig. "Switzerland special: Pilatus the success story." Flight International, 17 March 2008."The NextGen Trainer." Pilatus Aircraft, Retrieved: 22 March 2016."PC-21 set to revolutionise training for air forces." Flight International, 22 July 2002. In May 2002, Pilatus announced that it aimed for the PC-21 to capture 50% of the global trainer aircraft market between 2005 and 2030."Swiss air force poised to acquire six PC-21s." Flight International, 13 September 2005.Wastnage, Justin. "Pilatus aims for half of trainer sales with PC-21." Flight International, 7 May 2002.
In December 2000, the owners Unaxis (previously called Oerlikon-Bührle) sold Pilatus to a consortium of Swiss investors. During July 2010, the company delivered its 1,000 PC-12.
2010–2019