Company Calls Move A 'Significant Step' Towards First Deliveries

Beechcraft Corporation announced today that its Hawker 400XPR upgrade program has taken a significant step toward first deliveries, with the first three aircraft now undergoing final airframe modifications.

The first customer aircraft had a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system installed in 2013 as part of the upgrade program and re-entered into service. It recently returned to Beechcraft for additional modifications, including the installation of genuine Hawker winglets and Williams International FJ44-4A-32 engines. The second aircraft is receiving new engines, winglets and the Aircell ATG 2000 WiFi Internet and voice package, while the third aircraft is receiving new engines, winglets, paint and interior. Deliveries of these first three aircraft are expected to occur in the first half of 2014.
 
Beechcraft offers the exclusive factory designed, engineered and supported upgrade package for the Hawker/Beechjet 400. The upgrade includes several factory approved airframe modifications that significantly improve performance, operating cost and resale value. “With the difficult market conditions for buying new light and midsize jets, we are seeing strong demand for our XPR programs,” said Brian Howell, Beechcraft vice president, Aftermarket Sales and Business Development. “We offer the best upgrade solution for Hawker 400 and 800 aircraft, and with more than 1,600 of these in operation today, we are confident that our XPR programs will grow and continue to perform well. By opting to upgrade their aircraft through the factory, owners are able to add value and more effectively use an existing asset that benefits from increased performance, payload and efficiency at half the cost of a new comparable aircraft.”
 
The Hawker 400XPR aircraft is superior in performance and efficiency when compared to both new aircraft offerings from other OEMs, as well as individual alterations from aircraft operators like Nextant and Flight Options. The Williams International FJ44-4A engines enable the Hawker 400XPR to climb directly to FL450 in only 19 minutes at max takeoff weight, whereas the Nextant and Flight Options modification (which uses the smaller -3A engine) requires some 70 minutes at lower altitudes before it can step climb to realize the greater efficiencies without sacrificing speed. Based on preliminary performance data, the 400XPR will fly 1,970 nautical miles with four passengers departing a 5,000-foot elevation airport at 30°C – more than 400 miles farther than the Nextant alteration can fly.
 
In addition to winglets and new engines, the Hawker 400XPR upgrade can include upgrades to the aircraft’s exterior, cabin and cockpit, including Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 or Garmin G5000 flight deck installations.
 
Each component of the 400XPR upgrade program is undergoing separate certification. Certifications for the winglet component and the Williams International FJ44-4A-32 engine are pending. The Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system upgrade is certified, and certification on the Garmin G5000 modification is expected in 2015.

(Image provided by Beechcraft)

FMI: http://xpr.hawkerbeechcraft.com.