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Beechcraft King Air

Beechcraft King Air History

The Beechcraft King Air is a practical platform developed from the 1958 Beechcraft Queen Air. Despite its Cold War roots, it still has flying time. A prototype flew for the first time in May 1963, and the series launched on September 9, 1964. Since then, around 3,100 examples have been produced, and many offshoots have emerged for military and civilian use.

The King Air was born in 1961 as the company model 120.

The two main models in the series are the Model 90 and the Model 100, with various sub-variants in between. The Model 100 has an elongated fuselage with additional cabin viewing windows and increased MTOW. Militarized forms are used in the United States (such as the VC-6A, Pegasus, and Ute) and other countries, such as the Israeli Air Force (IAF), Royal Canadian Air Force, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

In addition, the model is in service at the government level and with civilian operators around the world.

The C90GTi model has a crew of 1 or 2 and can carry up to 7 passengers. Overall length is 35.5 feet, with a wingspan of 50.2 feet and a height of 14.2 feet. Curb weight is 7,000 lbs and MTOW is 10,100 lbs. Power comes from 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A series turboprop engines, each producing 550 horsepower and driving a Hartzell propeller unit. Performance includes a top speed of 311 mph, a cruising speed of 260 mph, a range of up to 1,530 miles and a service ceiling of up to 30,000 feet.

The climb rate is 2,000 feet per minute.

B100 model changed to 2 x Garrett TPE-331-6-251B or -252 series turboprops rated at 840 hp. The speed is slightly reduced (307 mph), as is the upper limit of service (24,850 ft).

Variants of the King Air line include the 1972 "Super King Air" which also entered the civilian and military segment with nearly 4,000 units produced.

Beechcraft King Air Specification

BASICS

Year:

1964

Status:

Active, In-Service

Crew:

MANUFACTURING

[ 3,120 Units ] :

Beechcraft - USA

ROLES

- Transport

- Commercial Market

- VIP Transport

- Training

DIMENSIONS

Length:

35. 50 ft (10. 82 m)

Width/Span:

50. 26 ft (15. 32 m)

Height:

14. 24 ft (4. 34 m)

WEIGHTS

Empty Weight:

6,945 lb (3,150 kg)

MTOW:

10,097 lb (4,580 kg)

(Diff: +3,153lb)

POWER

2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A turboprop engines developing 550 horsepower.

PERFORMANCE

Maximum Speed:

311 mph (500 kph; 270 kts)

Service Ceiling:

30,000 feet (9,144 m; 5. 68 miles)

Maximum Range:

1,520 miles (2,446 km; 1,321 nm)

Rate-of-Climb:

2,000 ft/min (610 m/min)

ARMAMENT

None. Military forms carry special mission equipment for Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) sorties.

VARIANTS

Type 87 - Development Test Vehicle; 2 x PT6A-6 turboprops.

Model 65-90 - first production model; 2 x PT6A-6 turboprops; 112 copies made.

Type 65-A90 - Modified cockpit; integrated engine de-icing; increased MTOW.

Type 65-A90-1 - 2 x PT6A-20 turboprops; unpressurized cockpit/cabin.

Type 65-A90-2 - Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA)

Model 65-A90-3 - Improved EWA version

Type 65-A90-4 - Reinforced airframe; added MTOW; 16 examples completed.

Type B90 - modified wings; increased MTOW; modified cockpit; 184 copies made.

Type C90 - 2 x PT6A-21 turboprops; 100 series cabin pressurization; 507 copies made.

Model C90-1 - Improved C90 model; 54 copies made.

Type C90A - 2 x PT6A-21 turboprops; modified chassis.

Model C90B - Updated C90A models; increased MTOW

Model C90SE - Alternative C90A updated models

Model C90GT - 2 x PT6A-135A engines of 750 horsepower; 97 examples produced.

Model C90GTi - Updated C90GT form with digital glass cockpit; 90 examples produced.

Model C90GTx - Improved C90GT with additional winglets; increased MTOW.

Model D90 - Incomplete Prototype Program

Model E90 - 2 x PT6A-28 engines, 680 hp; 347 copies made.

Type F90 - 2 PT6A-135 engines of 750 hp; four-bladed propeller assembly; T-tail; 196 pieces produced.

Model F90-1 - Model F90 with 2 PT6A-135A motors; 32 copies made.

Model G90

Model H90

Model 100

Model A100

Model B100

Model A100-1

YU-21

U-21A-Ute

EU-21A

JU-21A

RU-21A

RU-21B

RU-21C

RU-21D

RU-21E

U-21F

U-21G Ute

RU-21G

RU-21H

U-21H

U-21H-Ute

JU-21H

VC-6A

T-44A Pegasus

T-44C Pegasus

Shadow R1 - Surveillance platform based on the King Air 350ER.

Beechcraft C-12 Huron

Beechcraft Super King Air

Beechcraft C-45 (Expeditor)

Beechcraft King Air 260

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