Raytheon Aircraft has received commuter-category approval for a heavyweight Beechcraft King Air 350 as a step towards certification of its extended-endurance special mission King Air 350ER in the third quarter of next year.
Following installation of a heavyweight landing gear and other aircraft modifications, the twin-turboprop has been certificated at a gross weight of 7,480kg (16,500lb), an increase of 680kg over the King Air 350’s maximum of 6,800kg under its existing Part 23 certification.
Raytheon is developing and certificating the nacelle fuel tanks that will be added to the heavyweight aircraft to produce the King Air 350ER. The extended-endurance aircraft will be able to perform a low-altitude surveillance mission for up to 8h at 185km (100nm) radius, the company says.
Raytheon is also talking to commercial customers about potential uses of the increased-weight aircraft. “We expect some trickle down,” the company says. Raytheon is improving a number of its Beechcraft products, with deliveries of the increased-power King Air C90GT to begin in December.
Certification of the higher-specification Premier IA light jet is planned for the end of September, along with approval of the Bonanza G36 piston single with Garmin G1000 integrated flightdeck. The Garmin-upgraded Baron G35 piston twin is scheduled for certification by the end of October.
- A Beechcraft 1900D converted from 19-seat airliner configuration to 11-seat corporate shuttle by Raytheon Airline Aviation Services has been delivered to Williams Group International, an Atlanta, Georgia-based construction and engineering services company.
The refurbished aircraft features forward galley, side-facing flight attendant seat, extra soundproofing, LED cabin lighting, drop-down ceiling monitors, satellite communications, new aft lavatory and in-flight accessible aft baggage compartment.
Source: Flight International
