Nextant (Booth 771) has set a target date for the 400NXT first flight as Spring 2009, with accelerated deliveries in the first half of 2010. The Nextant 400NXT is a remanufactured Hawker Beechjet 400A/400XP, designed to overcome the limitations of the popular original aircraft.
“The idea is to take 2008 technology and incorporate it into an older airplane,” says Mark O’Donnell, VP business development for Nextant. “We are refurbishing everything but the primary structure.”
There is no ultimate life limit on the Beechjet 400A/XP, he says. “It is built like a tank and it has the right size cabin, but it doesn’t have the range. That is a consistent complaint we hear – the plane can barely fly more than 1,000 miles.”
 |
|---|
By replacing the existing Pratt & Whitney JT15D engines with the new Williams International FJ44-3AP computer-controlled engines and incorporating the new Rockwell Collins Proline 21 avionics suite, the range of the 400NXT will be increased from 1180nm to more than 2000nm. Nextant expects the jet to achieve a 27% reduction in operating costs based on fuel savings alone.
The 400NXT will be offered as a remanufactured serialized production aircraft as well as a modification retrofit program. The fully modified 400NXT will sell for under $5 million.
Source: Flight Daily News
