Hawker Beechcraft Beech King Air B200

The Beech King Air B200 twin-turboprop transport and utility aircraft.

Over 2,150 King Air B200 aircraft have been sold worldwide.

The B200 has a maximum speed of 480km/hr and range of over 3,400km.

The Beech King Air B200 has two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A reverse flow, free turbine engines, each rated at 1,050shp.

The air-conditioned 'squared-oval' pressurised cabin can be fitted with seven or nine seats.

The B200 has been sold in both civil and military versions, and is in service with the US Army, Army National Guard, Air National Guard and Navy.

The B200 entered service in 1981.

The Beech King Air B200 is a twin-turboprop transport and utility aircraft. The Beech King Air product line has been in continuous production since 1964 and more than 6,000 of 17 variants have been sold for corporate, commercial and special mission operations to more than 94 countries.

Beech Aircraft Corporation, the original manufacturers, became a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon in 1980. The company has continued to incorporate improvements and additions to the King Air aircraft.

As well as the B200, the current production versions include the King Air 350 and the C90B. The 350 is longer than the B200, having accommodation for eight passengers and a range of over 1,700nm. The C90B is the entry-level variant with seating for four passengers and a range of 1,050nm.

In December 2006, Raytheon announced the sale of Raytheon Aircraft to GS Capital Partners. The new company is called Hawker Beechcraft Inc and the sale was completed in March 2007.

The Super King Air 200 aircraft first flew in 1972 and the design of the Super King Air B200 derivative began in 1980. The ‘Super’ was dropped from the name in 1996 and the aircraft became known as the King Air B200. Since first entering service in 1981 over 2,150 King Air B200 aircraft have been delivered.

The maximum level speed at 25,000ft is 540km/hr and the range is 3,442km. The aircraft has a landing run of just 536m and take-off run of 567m, allowing the operator access to small remote airfields.

The aircraft has been built in civil and military versions. The King Air B200C equipped with cameras, cargo doors and special mission systems, is in service with the armed forces of Greece.

In May 2007, Hawker Beechcraft announced an upgraded version, the King Air B200GT. The aircraft is powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-52 engines which are rated at 1,150shp and provide an increased cruise speed of 560km/h. The B200GT received certification in December 2007.

The C-12F variant of the B200C is an operational support aircraft in service with the US Army, the US Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. The UC-12F, equipped with surface search radar is in service with the United States Navy. The C-12R is used for aerial mapping and photography and is fitted with commercial Zeiss camera systems.

Five B200CT aircraft have been ordered by the Israeli Air Force, the first was delivered in September 2002.

The UK Royal Air Force has ordered seven B200 aircraft for pilot training at RAF Cranwell Military Air Academy. The first was delivered in December 2003. Two further aircraft have been ordered and the first was delivered in April 2008. Three King Air B200SE aircraft are in operation with Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service as air ambulances. The B200SE’s are fitted with a large cargo door and air ambulance interior configuration.

Flight deck

The flight deck seats a crew of two and is fitted with dual controls although it can be flown by a single pilot. The aircraft was fitted with Rockwell Collins ProLine II avionics suite with a Universal UNS-1D / UNS-1K navigation system, ALT-80A altimeter, dual airspeed indicators and a flight director and an optional Rockwell Collins EFIS-8B electronic flight information system with three tube multifunction displays.

The King Air B200 is now being offered with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite as standard equipment. This includes 8in x 10in primary flight displays based on active matrix LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) technology and a multi-function display with primary engine information, systems synoptics, checklists and navigational data – including planning maps, present-position maps and heading. Terrain, traffic, lightning, weather radar and other sensor information can also be displayed.

Pro Line 21 includes: the FMS-3000 flight management system (dual FMS is optional), dual flight directors, fail-passive autopilot, Global Positioning System (GPS), dual solid-state Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS), dual digital air data computers and turbulence detection radar.

A Rockwell Collins Remote Radio Tuning Unit (RTU) provides centralised control of the Pro Line 21 radio tuning.

From 2005, the AirCell ST3100 Itridium satellite telecommunications systems will be available as an option.

B200 cabin

The B200 has a comfortable and roomy ‘squared-oval’ pressurised cabin. The air-conditioned cabin can be fitted with seven or nine seats. The rear cabin door is equipped with airstairs.

Engines

The King Air Beech 200 has two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A reverse flow, free turbine engines, each rated at 1,050shp. The Hartzell propellers are four-bladed, 239cm diameter automatic feathering, reversible-pitch metal propellers.

The aircraft’s bladder cells and optional fuel tanks in each wing provide a usable fuel capacity of 2,460l. The refuelling points are located on the upper surfaces of the wings.

Landing gear

The hydraulically retractable tricycle-type landing gear has twin-wheeled main units and steerable nose unit. The gear is equipped with Goodrich wheels and tyres, Goodrich hydraulically operated multi-disc brakes and Beech oleo pneumatic shock absorbers. The main gear retracts forward and the nose unit retracts rearward.