Thu, Oct 22, 2009
Specially-Equipped King Air 350ER Aircraft Performing ISR
Missions In Several Theaters Of Operation
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC)
announced Monday it has received a follow-on order from the United
States Air Force for six additional King Air 350ER special mission
aircraft in support of Project Liberty. HBC was awarded the
original contract for 23 King Air 350ER turboprops, designated by
the military as the MC-12W, in November 2008. The company has
completed delivery of these 23 aircraft.
“This follow-on order is directly linked to the
reliability and versatility of the MC-12W special mission aircraft
in performing its important Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance mission and the fact that we delivered all of the
aircraft in the original order on or ahead of schedule,” said
Jim Maslowski, president, U.S. and International Government
Business. “Since being deployed in several theaters of
operation, the aircraft have demonstrated extremely high-mission
capability and logged hundreds of hours on station.”
Modified with military-required equipment, the MC-12W provides
the Air Force with advanced technology and reliability. The value
of the additional order for six aircraft is approximately $45
million. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by the end of the
year.
The King Air 350ER, a derivative of the King Air 350, provides
extended range through the addition of nacelle fuel tanks, along
with an increase in gross weight from 15,000 to 16,500 pounds and
the incorporation of heavy-weight landing gear. The aircraft is
ideally suited for use in special missions as an airborne
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform. The
aircraft can provide more than eight hours of endurance and has 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 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 more than 45 minutes
of fuel on board. No other aircraft in its class can come close to
this performance.
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