Hawker 400

Hawker 400
Raytheon Aircraft Beechjet 400A
Role Business jet
Manufacturer Hawker Beechcraft
First flight 29 August 1978 (as Mitsubishi Diamond)
Status Active Service
Primary user NetJets Europe[1]
Produced 1978-2009
Number built 951 : 92 Mitsubishi MU-300,[2] 859 Beechjet 400[3]
Unit cost
$7.4 million USD (as of 2009)[4]
Variants T-1 Jayhawk

The Hawker 400 is a small twin-engine jet corporate aircraft. Initially designed and built by Mitsubishi, it has been further developed and updated by the Beech Aircraft Company, now part of Hawker Beechcraft.

Design and development

The aircraft was originally designed as the Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond, an all-new, all-jet development to complement and slot above the Mitsubishi MU-2 and provide Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with their top-of-the-line corporate aircraft model (hence the name "Diamond").[5] The aircraft first flew on 29 August 1978.[6] It is a small, low-winged twin-turbofan aircraft of all metal construction, flown by a crew of two pilots and accommodating eight passengers in a pressurised cabin. Its wings use a computer designed, supercritical airfoil in order to minimise drag. Its two Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D turbofans are mounted on the rear fuselage.[7][8]

Beechcraft bought the production rights and began manufacturing it as their own model, initially re-designated as the Beechjet 400. The Beechjet 400 was certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration in May 1986.[9]

Raytheon/Beechcraft steadily developed their own improvements to the model, leading to the 400A in 1990. Improvements in the 400A include longer range, higher take-off weights and improved luxury appointments. An all-glass flight deck was also offered. Beechcraft also developed a version for the United States Air Force known as the T-1A Jayhawk, used as a trainer for large aircraft crews (such as tankers and strategic transports). A total of 180 T-1A trainers were delivered between 1992 and 1997. Another military variant is the Japan Air Self-Defense Force 400T trainer which shares the same Type Certificate as the T-1A.[9]

In 1993 Raytheon purchased the Hawker business jet product line from British Aerospace. The Beechjet 400 was eventually renamed the Hawker 400 to map it into the Hawker product line. The Hawker 400XP incorporates further aerodynamic, mechanical and interior improvements gleaned from the Hawker 800XP.

In October 2008, Hawker Beechcraft announced upgrades to the design, resulting in the new model designation Hawker 450XP. Upgrades were to include new, more fuel efficient engines (Pratt & Whitney PW535Ds with 2,965 pounds of thrust each). The Hawker 450XP was canceled in June 2009 due to poor economic conditions.[10]

Nextant Aerospace developed a program to remanufacture the Beechjet 400A, replacing the Pratt & Whitney engines with Williams FJ44s, plus a new avionics suite and interior, among other improvements. The remanufactured aircraft, called the Nextant 400XT, received FAA certification in October 2011.[11]

Up to one-third of the 400A/400XP fleet could be retrofitted, enabling improved range, speed and fuel efficiency. It should keep their resale value to remain in economic service for another twenty to thirty years, like Falcon 20s reengined with TFE731s.[12]

Variants

A Mitsubishi Diamond I
A Hawker 400XP. 400XPs have one fewer window each side of the fuselage compared to Mitsubishi Diamond and Beechjet 400 series aircraft
Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond I
Initial model. Two prototypes and 89 production aircraft built,[13] 56 in active use as of 2014.[14]
Mitsubishi MU-300-10 Diamond II
Improved version of Diamond I; 11 built, all subsequently redesignated as Beechjet 400s.[9]
Beechcraft Model 400 Beechjet
Version of Diamond II built after Beechcraft bought the production rights to the MU-300 from Mitsubishi, 54 built in addition to 11 Diamond IIs.[9]
Model 400A
Upgraded model, initially produced as the Beechcraft Beechjet 400A, then Raytheon Beechjet 400A, then Raytheon Hawker 400XP, then Hawker Beechcraft Hawker 400XP. One prototype converted from Model 400 and 593 built as of the end of 2009.[9][15]
Model 400T
Military version of the Model 400A, 180 built for the United States Air Force as the T-1 Jayhawk and 13 built for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.[9][16]
Hawker 400XPR
A factory engineered and supported upgrade first flown May 2012. The conversion features new avionics, interior, winglets, and Williams FJ-44-4A-32 engines.[17]

Operators

The type is used by many corporate and private users, it is also used by air-taxi and air charter companies. NetJets Europe operates a fleet of 27 Hawker 400XPs.[1]

Specifications (Beechjet 400A)

Data from Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000[18]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
Related lists

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 NetJets Europe Fleet list retrieved 2010-03-19
  2. ↑ "Mitsubishi MU-300 production list". rzjets.
  3. ↑ "Beech 400 Beechjet production list". rzjets.
  4. ↑ 2009 Business Aircraft Comparison Charts, Business and Commercial Aviation magazine (online version) retrieved 2010-03-19
  5. ↑ Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond, airliners.net
  6. ↑ Field and Hurst Flight International 30 September 1978, p.1264.
  7. ↑ Taylor 1988, pp. 339–340.
  8. ↑ Whitaker Flight International 18 July 1981, pp. 163–167.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 FAA Type Certificate Number A16SW (Hawker Beechcraft Model 400 series), Revision 25 retrieved 2010-03-19
  10. ↑ Hawker Beechcraft cancels 450XP jet
  11. ↑ "Nextant Aerospace Receives FAA Certification for the 400XT" (Press release). Nextant Aerospace. 5 October 2011.
  12. ↑ "Operators Survey: Beechjet 400A/Hawker 400XP/Nextant 400XT". Business & Commercial Aviation. Aviation Week. Dec 10, 2014.
  13. ↑ FAA Type Certificate Number A14SW (Mitsubishi MU-300), Revision 9 retrieved 2010-03-19
  14. ↑ Hoyle, Craig (24 October 2014), "Big in Japan: Tokyo's Top 10 aircraft projects", Flightglobal, Reed Business Information
  15. ↑ Hawker Beechcraft aircraft Serial Number Lists 1945 to present retrieved 2010-03-19.
  16. ↑ LAASdata list of Beechjet 400/Hawker 400/T-1/400T aircraft retrieved 2010-03-19. The list includes US and Japanese military variants but these have not been included in the total.
  17. ↑ "A Score Of New Business Aircraft Are Planned". Aviation Week & Space Technology: 68. 14 October 2013.
  18. ↑ Taylor 1999, pp. 521—522.
Bibliography
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