Official T-54A Marlin II King Air 260 US Flag Patch — Beechcraft King Air 260-based US Navy Multi-Engine Training System (METS) Embroidered Patch The Navy's new multi-engine trainer — T-54A Marlin II, King Air 260 underneath, US flag on the tail. The Beechcraft T-54A Marlin II is the United States Navy's new Multi-Engine Training System (METS) advanced trainer — a militarized variant of the Beechcraft King Air 260 selected by the Navy in 2023 to replace the long-serving T-44C Pegasus, which has trained naval aviators in the multi-engine and tilt-rotor pipeline since 1977. Manufactured by Textron Aviation at its facility in Wichita, Kansas, the T-54A is equipped with modern avionics including multifunction displays with digital moving maps, integrated GPS/inertial navigation, ADS-B transponders, weather radar, radar altimeter, flight management systems, and cockpit data recorders, and features a pressurized cabin and side-by-side seating arrangement designed specifically for the advanced instrument and asymmetric engine handling phase of training. The aircraft will train naval aviators destined for the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye carrier airborne early warning, C-130 Hercules, CMV-22B Osprey carrier-onboard delivery, and MV-22B Osprey assault support communities, and will also serve US Marine Corps, US Coast Guard, and select allied pilots through 2055. The T-54A reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in May 2025; the Navy had taken delivery of 15 aircraft by June 2025 with plans to procure up to 64 airframes total. VT-35 Stingrays became the first squadron to fly the type on June 19, 2025. This US flag patch celebrates the Navy's newest trainer. Perfect For: T-54A Marlin II / King Air 260 pilots, instructor pilots, student naval aviators, and maintainers, VT-31 Wise Owls and VT-35 Stingrays Multi-Engine Training System (METS) personnel, NAS Corpus Christi residents and Texas Coastal Bend naval aviation community, Training Air Wing FOUR (CTW-4) personnel, CNATRA staff, T-44C Pegasus heritage instructors, and Beechcraft / Textron Aviation supporters. T-54A Marlin II — METS for the next 30 years.
