Hawker Beechcraft has outlined the progress made on its various model upgrades at this week's European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva.
Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support (GCS) is currently working on three upgraded package models: the Hawker 800XPR and Hawker 400XPR business jets and the newly announced King Air 200GTR.
The largest of the three, the Hawker 800XPR, is moving steadily towards GCS’s targeted mid-year FAA and EASA certification with the new Honeywell TFE731-50R engines now installed on the test model, which is currently ungergoing power-on ground run testing prior to flight testing.
The manufacturer says the Hawker 800XPR upgrade offers significant performance and capability improvements over the 800XP, with its larger engines and Genuine Hawker winglets affording it a better time to climb and faster cruise speeds.
The main announcement from GCS came with the new product enhancement package for existing Beechcraft King Air 200GT aircraft that aims to increase performance and resale value by incorporating customer-requested changes and technology upgrades. The King Air 200GTR package incorporates BLR Aerospace composite winglets, a Raisbeck Engineering Ram Air Recovery System (RARS) and Hartzell 4-blade composite propellers.
CAPTION: A graphic of the King Air 200GTR. (Hawker Beechcraft)
GCS says at MTOW the King Air 200GTR will take off over a 50-foot obstacle in only 2111 feet from a sea level airport, 400 feet shorter than a King Air B200GT, with the upgrade also offering slight increases in high speed cruise, climb performance and range over its predecessor.
And while at EBACE this week, Hawker Beechcraft also announced that it has officially opened the order book for its Hawker 400XPR upgrade. Hawker 400XPR development is said to be progressing smoothly and certifications of its Pro Line 21 avionics, Genuine Hawker winglets and FJ44-4A-32 engines are currently anticipated in July, December, and June 2012, respectively.
CAPTION: A graphic of the Hawker 400XPR. (Hawker Beechcraft)
GCS announced in April the addition of a second test aircraft to the program, which is being used primarily to pursue the development and certification of various avionics upgrade options.