Hawker Beechcraft appears to be poised to relaunch its Hawker 450 as new details emerge about the upgraded business jet.
Few details are known about the aircraft, but a Hawker Beechcraft source says the Hawker 450 is to be powered by twin Pratt & Whitney Canada full-authority digital-controlled PW500 engines and sport a Rockwell Collins Proline 21 avionics suite. The aircraft is to be based on the Hakwer 400XP platform, which seats two pilots and nine passengers.
The aircraft is also expected to be the launch customer for the PW535D engine variant. The new engines will replace Pratt & Whitney JT15D powerplants.
The performance specifications of the aircraft are unknown, although the original design called for a five-passenger 3,700km (2,000nm) range with five passengers, a 1,430m (4,700ft) take-off field length and 472kt (875km/h) cruising speed.
The original design also was powered by both Honeywell engines and avionics. Honeywell was initially a risk sharing partner on the programme.
For the interior, the Hawker 450 will use parts of the Venue cabin management system from Rockwell Collins, which was unveiled at the US National Business Aircraft Association convention in 2007.
The formal announcement launching the Hawker 450 is likely to come at October's NBAA convention and the delivery of the first aircraft is targeted for the first quarter of 2010.
The Hawker 450 was originally unveiled in 2000 at an NBAA convention, but was later shelved in 2002 in favour of upgrades to its existing product line, rather than opt for an all-new design in light of slowing demand.
Hawker, which at the time was owned by Raytheon, focused its attention on completing its Premier I and Horizon aircraft, later renamed the Hawker 4000, which was certificated and delivered earlier this year.
Hawker Beechcraft declined to comment.
Source: Flight International
