Hawker Beechcraft announced Oct. 5 that it would build a follow-on design to the company’s Hawker 400XP.
The new airplane will have Pratt & Whitney PW535D, FADEC-controlled engines of 2,965 lbst. That’s the same thrust as the 400XP’s Pratt & Whitney JT15Ds, but the new engines are flat-rated to 20 degrees Celsius—an eight-degree improvement over the 400XP’s engines. This permits better hot and high performance and direct climbs to FL430.
The new engines have 5,000-hour TBOs, compared to the JT15Ds’ 3,600-hour TBOs. Moreover, the 535Ds promise to emit less smoke and hydrocarbons than the JT15Ds.
The 450XP’s cabin will have Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line 21 avionics suite, as well as Rockwell Collins’ new Venue entertainment system. The airplane should cruise as fast as 446 knots and have a maximum range of 1,605 nm—some 140 nm longer than the 400XP’s.
First flight of the 450XP is set for the second quarter of 2009. Certification and first deliveries should occur in the second quarter of 2010. Price is now $7.7 million for a typically equipped airplane.
Thomas A. Horne
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