Beechcraft Hawker 400XPr Upgrade STC'd by FAA

Textron Aviation announced today that its Beechcraft subsidiary received U.S. FAA STC approval for all "program elements" of its Hawker 400XPR upgrade, including winglets, Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 retrofit avionics and replacement Williams International FJ44-4A-32 engines. This full certification is roughly four years later than initially planned, and the first 400XPr delivery, slated for later this year, is nearly two years behind the last-updated schedule.

All components of the factory-approved,-engineered and -supported upgrade package are available for installation on Beechjet 400A/400XPs at any Textron Aviation service center. The first full Hawker 400XPr factory-completed aircraft is currently under way.

The 400XPr program is fully customizable and can be performed in stages or all at once, the company said. A full conversion can be done in about 12 weeks, it added. Customers can also choose between several exterior repaint and interior refurbishment options as part of the upgrade.

With the winglets and new Williams engines, the 400XPr offers a 33-percent range increase over a baseline Beechjet 400A/400XP, to 1,970 nm with four passengers. It can also fly to its FL450 ceiling in 19 minutes at mtow. By comparison, the Nextant 400XTi—a remanufactured Beechjet 400A/400XP with winglets, Pro Line 21 avionics and Williams FJ44-3AP engines—has an NBAA IFR range of 1,928 nm with four passengers. Both the 400XPr and 400XTi are advertised as having a 2,160-nm maximum range.