AvFab’s Special-mission Seats Fit for a King (Air)

Aviation Fabricators (AvFab) is expecting certification shortly for two seats designed specifically for special-mission King Airs to help reduce fatigue, stabilize posture, and increase occupant stability on long flight legs, the company announced this week at NBAA-BACE 2025. A manufacturer of Textron Aviation high-density special mission seating since 2009, AvFab is rolling out the Guardian seat for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, and the Responder seat for medevac missions.

“We found there was room for new ISR seating,” said AvFab co-founder Jeff Lowe. “We were hearing from customers and our market research department found that the lead time, the cost, and the support were of considerable concern in the ISR world for seating.”

He added that the company was hearing that lead times to obtain such seating could be six to nine months. “Ours is five to six weeks, and our cost is about 60% of what a comparable seat would be in the market,” he said, adding that AvFab also could provide quicker turns on support.

Mission: Possible

According to AvFab v-p Hayden Lowe, the Guardian is purpose-built for ISR operators who need to maintain focus during missions that last up to 14 hours. “That requires a blend of comfort-focused features such as the ability to recline, height adjust, tracking inboard outboard, forward and aft, with the five-point harness for added safety.” This seat comes with a five-point harness to provide stability.

The Responder shares many of the same features as the Guardian seat, but it is tailored to the needs of air ambulance operators, with the ability to rotate towards patients (up to 180 degrees) when actively administering care. A four- or five-point harness can come with the Responder.

Selecting Oregon Aero to provide the foam, Lowe said, “We were intent on creating a seat that not only had the features that we knew special-mission operators desired, but also the comfort. [Oregon Aero’s] seat foam is known for superior comfort and durability, so they became the easy choice.” AvFab teamed with Oregon Aero to sculpt the cushions to ergonomically support the seat occupants.

In development for 18 months, the seats will be produced under technical standard order C39. The first two are destined for medevac operators, with delivery tentatively slated for November, pending certification. “We’ve got a large commitment from a major medevac operator in the UK,” he said.

With the King Airs nearing market, AvFab is next looking toward the Cessna SkyCourier and Grand Caravan for development. “Both have robust special-mission capabilities, but neither appears to have a seat to match,” Hayden Lowe said. Also, the company is looking at the next iteration of the King Air seat that would shave 5 to 7 pounds off the seats, he added.