First Appearance As Private Company In 25 Years
When Hawker Beechcraft
Corporation (HBC) comes to the Paris Air Show this year, it will do
so as a private company for the first time in 25 years. The company
will be featuring a selection of its product line including the
Hawker 4000, Hawker 850XP, Beechcraft Premier IA and Beechcraft
King Air 350ER.
"The international market, and Europe in particular, is growing
at a rapid pace with recent industry forecasts expecting this to
continue through 2009," said Jim Schuster, chairman and CEO. "One
of the largest aviation tradeshows in the world, the Paris Air Show
provides us with an excellent venue to meet customers and display
our aircraft. As a new company with a long and proud heritage,
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation is looking forward to joining the
industry at the show."
The Hawker 4000 is the flagship of the Hawker line, and offers
best-in-class field performance in the super-midsize category,
including Takeoff Field Length (ISA, SL, MGTOW) of just 4,509 feet.
The Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308A engines deliver 6,900 lb of
thrust each and combined with the Hawker 4000’s advanced wing
design provide stunning high/hot and short field performance,
according to the company.
The Hawker 850XP to be on display is part of what the company
calls "a strategically planned sequence of upgrades for the
company’s entire fleet of aircraft" and notes the Hawker
850XP will be replaced by the new Hawker 900XP and Hawker 750
aircraft currently in development. The Hawker 900XP will include
winglets developed by HBC and the new Honeywell TFE731-50R jet
engines. Range on the airplane will increase to 2,900 nautical
miles.
The Hawker 750 introduces a new segment for the Hawker fleet and
offers the largest-cabin aircraft to the light-midsize market
segment. It takes the Hawker 800-series airframe, and replaces the
aft-ventral fuel tank with a heated baggage compartment. With a
2,100 nautical mile range, the Hawker 750 will have the largest
cabin in the light-midsize segment. Certification and deliveries of
the Hawker 900XP will occur by late summer. Certification and
deliveries of the Hawker 750 will occur before the end of the
year.
Over on the Beechcraft side, the company calls its Premier IA
the largest and fastest single-pilot business jet in the world. It
features a high-strength composite, carbon fiber/epoxy/honeycomb
fuselage, produced by computer-controlled, automated machines,
giving the aircraft a medium-jet sized cabin at light jet
acquisition and operating costs. The powerplants are Williams
International FJ44-2A engines that are built on themes of
simplicity, low fuel consumption, and high-altitude thrust
performance.
Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics includes IFIS with total
system integration and instrument placement designed to make
single-pilot operation easy, simple and safe. With a 450 knot
cruise speed, customers around the world purchase the airplane for
its speed and large cabin.
The Beechcraft King Air 350ER is a derivative of the successful
Beechcraft King Air 350 -- and the latest in a line of proven
special mission aircraft.
"Whether the mission is patrolling economic exclusion zones,
conducting maritime search and rescue activities, flying air
ambulance service or providing overland surveillance, the
Beechcraft King Air 350ER provides proven reliability and
unparalleled cost-effectiveness over a wide variety of military and
civilian special missions," said Heather Shoup, acting vice
president, Special Mission Aircraft Systems, Hawker Beechcraft
Corporation.
First hinted at by the company in
2005, the Extended Range variant of the heavy-lifter
King Air 350 sports the addition of nacelle fuel tanks, along
with an increase in gross weight from 15,000 lbs to 16,500 lbs,
plus the incorporation of heavy-weight landing gear. These
enhancements provide the Beechcraft King Air 350ER with over eight
hours of endurance, and the flexibility to loiter low and slow, or
cruise at 300 knots and 35,000 feet. Taking off at gross weight
with full fuel and full payload, the Beechcraft King Air 350ER can
fly out 100 nautical miles, perform a low altitude surveillance
mission for 7 hours and 20 minutes, fly back 100 nautical miles,
and still land with over 45 minutes of fuel on board. Certification
of the airplane is scheduled for later this year.
HBC has over 100 authorized service centers worldwide and over
3,000 field service representatives committed to Beechcraft and
Hawker service; a dedicated AOG and flight critical team with 24/7
availability; and the only major aircraft OEM to offer lifetime
support for all of its legacy aircraft.