Raytheon Model 450 to Make NBAA Debut

Raytheon Aircraft Co. took the wraps off its new 2,000-nmi-plus Hawker 450 at a press conference held Monday.

Billed as the fastest, farthest-climbing, largest-cabin aircraft in the light-midsize-jet category, Hawker 450 will cruise at 0.80+ Mach and feature double-club or center-club seating for eight in a stand-up cabin with 5.9-foot head room, 6-foot width and 19.3-foot length.

Positioned between Raytheon's Premier 1 and Hawker Horizon, the main competitors for the firm's third clean-sheet business jet will be Bombardier's 1,900-nmi-range Learjet 45 and Cessna's 1,700-nmi-range Excel. Similar to Raytheon's other new-generation jets, Model 450 will have its own composite fuselage and swept, aluminum wings.

Honeywell will provide TFE731-40 turbofans, ISA+16°, with up to 4,250-pound-thrust for takeoff, flat-rated to ISA+16°C, and a Primus Epic integrated avionics suite with four, eight-by-ten-inch flat-panel displays. Other standard equipment will include EICAS, TCAS II and EGPWS, plus dual-zone cabin temperature control.

Show News expects Hawker 450 to have a fuel capacity of about 7,500 pounds and MTOW of 21,000 to 23,000 pounds, based on the aircraft's estimated range, cabin size and TFE731-40 engine performance.

Raytheon officials said Model 450 will be priced at $7.8 million to $9 million, depending on options. At this year's NBAA, the firm started taking $50,000 refundable deposits.

By Fred George