Expect product announcements every year from Raytheon
Aircraft as the company continues to improve its product line, says Brad Hatt,
company president and GM of the Hawker business unit.
More than a marketing gimmick, the update news will be
backed up with hardware, he promises.
Unveiled here today is the Hawker 850XP, the latest
iteration of the hugely popular 800XP and the short-lived 800XPi that was
introduced at this year's EBACE. (The i stood for improved, but could just as
well have meant interim). The 850XP takes all the improvements in the XPi, adds
performance-enhancing winglets, doubles the maintenance schedule to 600 hours,
and rewrites the manual to incorporate many of those tricks that old hands know
the aircraft can do so well but were never written down.
The 850XP can be seen in the static park at Raytheon's
exhibit (where it is showing the whole product line, from the Garmin
1000-equipped Bonanza to the Horizon). The new model will replace the 800XPi on
the production line from the end of this year. All outstanding orders will be
converted to the new aircraft.
From a ramp appeal point of view the new winglets give the
850XP "a great, sexy look," said Hatt, that carries over into performance.
Four-passenger max fuel range is increased from the 800XP's 2,540 nmi to 2,642
nmi, while six-passenger max range is upped to 2,598 nmi from the XPi's 2,495
nmi, representing an improvement of about four percent. Final figures aren't
yet in but tests indicate an improvement in time to climb of five to eight
percent and three to five knots increase in cruise speed at 39,000-41,000 ft.
List price will be $13,650,000 in 2006 dollars, up just a
shade from the XPi's $13,450,000 which was itself a $250,000 increase over the
800XP. Hatt explained that Hawker has a price point strategy, and the 850XP
fits it.
Improvements carried over from the 800XPi include a standard
Rockwell Collins Airshow 21 cabin control and entertainment system, with LCD
touch-screen controls and dual 15-inch flat-panel monitors on forward and aft
bulkheads. The aft divan has been moved from the right to the left side, making
room for more aft luggage storage volume, adjacent to the lavatory. Cabin
furnishings and seats have been upgraded, and standard LED downwash lighting
has been fitted to overhead panels.
Up front, pilots benefit from a new standard Pro Line 21
IFIS file server that makes possible standard e-charts and enhanced map
graphics. A second file server will be offered as a $39,000 option, qualifying
the cockpit for Class III EFB approval. No paper charts are required with this
certification. An XM radio (Wx Worx) weather datalink will be offered as a
$30,000 option for U.S. operators. A Universal Weather datalink capability that
includes ACARS text messaging will be available at $76,500 for folks needing an
internationally available solution. Three-dimensional FMS map graphics also
will be offered.
The winglets were developed by Raytheon. "It was a business
decision to do our own," said Hatt, using expertise gained in designing them
for the King Air 350 and Beech 1900D. They stand about 30 inches tall, and
incorporate LED position lights within their contour.
Retrofit kits will be available for the 800XP early in 2007.
"So you will see them only on factory new models during 2006," he added.
