Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Corporate and utility transport

Power Plant:

Two 783 kw (1,050 eshp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A turboprops

Specifications:

History:

The Beech King Air 300 was a development of the 200 series of corporate aircraft but only 219 examples had been built when production ceased in 1991 in favour of the 300LW. The 300LW (or light weight) was produced to minimise the effects of weight, which was important to operators in Europe, where much of the owner’s costs related to the weight of the aircraft. This model was followed by the 300AT, which was aimed at the airline pilot training market. The first flight of the 300 series occurred in October 1982 and power plant was the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A turboprop. Some 35 examples of the 300LW were built.

The Beech King Air 300 series was replaced by the 350 series. This made its debut in October 1989, was certificated under new commuter category rules of FAR Part 23, and replaced the Model 300 in production, over 350 examples being built. First flight of the Model 350 King Air occurred in 1988, and it entered production in the following year. It was designed as a result of a desire by King Air operators for a larger cabin and was 86.3 cm (34 in) longer than the Model 300, which was achieved by a cabin stretch 36.5 cm (14.4 in) forward of the wing and 49.7 cm (19.6 in) aft of the wing, thus providing room for a dual club interior. Typical seating was for eight in the main cabin, with optional seating for a further two, plus one in the toilet compartment, and a further passenger on the flight deck beside the pilot, giving a total of thirteen.

A number of variants have been built as development continued, one of these being the Model 350C with a built-in airstair and a 132 cm x 132 cm (52 in x 52 in) cargo door. It was also available in a range of special mission and military variants.

The Model 350 also had some changes to improve handling. Engines were the 783 kw (1,050 eshp) PT6A-60A turboprop. It was fitted with winglets which improved the drag characteristics when operating at relatively high angles of attack, such as during take-off, climb, and cruise at high altitudes.

A number of examples have been imported and the type has become very popular with Australasian operators. The Australian Army and the RAAF have operated examples for pilot training and communications work. One of the first was a Model 350 operated by the Australian Army as VH-HPJ (c/n FL-166) which was used for trials work and was fitted by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) with a developed synthetic aperture surveillance system in a belly radar pod and was later fitted with an FLIR pod. This was a privately owned aircraft which was used by the Australian Army in 2000.

The type commenced operations with No 32 Squadron RAAF in April 2003 and were expected to continue in service to at least to 2021. These aircraft were modified and used in three main roles: training Air Combat Officers and Maritime Aviation Warfare Officers; in low-level tactical and maritime operations in conjunction with the School of Aviation Warfare, and as a light transport.

These 16 aircraft used their manufacturer’s serial number as the RAAF serial and included: A32-339 (c/n FL-339 – ex N5039E); A32-343 (c/n FL-343); A32-346 (c/n FL-346); A32-348 (c/n FL-348); A32-349 (c/n FL-349); A32-350 (c/n FL-350); A32-351 (c/n FL-351); A32-372 (c/n FL-372); A32-426 (c/n FL-426); A32-437 (c/n FL-437); A32-439 (c/n FL-439); A32-651 (c/n FL-651); A32-670 (c/n FL-670); A32-671 (c/n FL-671) ; A32-673 (c/n FL-673); and A32-675 (c/n FL-675).

The type has also been operated by No 38 Squadron RAAF for carrying out light transport operations. This unit had RAAF personnel and maintenance contractors from Hawker Pacific attached to it to keep the type in service. It was broken up into A and B Flights, A-Flight carrying out transport operations and B-Flight being responsible for training courses. Along with Nos 33 and 36 Squadrons, it formed part of No 86 Wing. No 38 Squadron has operated with the Army’s Townsville-based 3rd Brigade and was tasked to operate VIP flights as well as operations into Papua New Guinea . However, the type was not permitted to operate into combat zones.

Late in 2016 Beech offered new variants of the Model 350 fitted with Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A engines for improved performance, these being the Model 350HW (Heavy Weight) and Model 350ER (Extended Range) with an optional MTOW increase to 7,938 kg (17,500 lb). Those upgrades were certified by the American FAA and the European EASA and were offered as a factory option for new aircraft or as an aftermarket modification. The new engine offered superior field and climb performance, including hot-and-high operations, provided a MTOW weight increase of 1,225 kg (2,700 b) at sea level compared to the standard aircraft. At that time more than 7,300 Beech King Airs had been delivered around the world since production of the Model 90 first appeared in 1964.

In mid-2017 the RAAF acquired by lease from Hawker Pacific a further four King Air 350s to train Air Combat Officers and Navy Aviation Warfare Officers with No 32 Squadron at East Sale, VIC these aircraft being fitted with a Rockwell Collins Proline 21 avionics suite. The aircraft received temporary civil registrations, becoming VH-KQD (c/n FL-1008), VH-KQE (c/n FL-1021), VH-KQF (c/n FL-988) and VH-KQG (c/n FL-1003). They joined eight trainers with the Squadron fitted with the older Proline 2 cockpit. The eight aircraft attached to No 38 Squadron based at Townsville had the Proline 21 equipment.

In 2019 a number were obtained on lease by the RNZAF. Four aircraft were obtained, ex the RAAF, being NZ2350 (c/n FL-897 – ex RP-C1834, VH-ZPF), NZ2351 (c/n FL-962 – ex n5062T, VH-ZPG), NZ2352 (c/n FL-979 – ex N979KA, VH-ZLJ) and NZ2353 (c/n FL-1017 – ex N817AP, VH-ZPE). Attached to No 42 Squadron the were obtained as part of the Air Crew Trainng Capability Project (ACTC). Known as the KA350 they are used in three different roles; transport for nine passengers; Air Warfare Training and Sensor Suite Training.

The two aircraft in the latter role have a sensor suite permanently installed which consists of Electro-optic and Infra-red cameras and a single-array multi-mode surveillance radar.