Cessna SkyCourier offered through FMS
The Cessna 408 SkyCourier will be offered to foreign nations as a military platform through the Foreign Military Sale programme.
The US Department of Defense has just decided this as part of a wider IDIQ (indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity) award to Textron Aviation, which is also valid for the Beechcraft B200 and B300 King Air, and the Cessna 208 Caravan/Grand Caravan. This should make acquiring the SkyCourier easier for military customers.
The SkyCourier made its first flight in May 2020 and the first example will be delivered in 2022. First and largest customer is FedEx Express, as the aircraft was developed based on their requirements, just like the Cessna Grand Caravan. Surinam's Gum Air has also ordered one SkyCourier.
In recent years, the Grand Caravan has seen an influx of military customers, mainly from South America and Africa.
The SkyCourier is focused mainly on utility and low operating costs and shares some of its features with the Cessna 208, such as the basic engine (Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6) and avionics (Garmin 1000).
This gives current military operators the possibility to replace or supplement older Caravans with the SkyCourier.