Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) recently demonstrated a suite of technologies, together called the King Air 350 Extended Range (ER) Mission Enhancement Kit. SNC teamed with Vector-Hawk Aerospace (VHA), a subsidiary government and military sales division of Blackhawk Modifications in Waco, Texas, and Advent Aircraft Systems, Inc. of Tulsa, Oklahoma to offer the Mission Enhancement Kit.
The company says the kit will offer the capability for greatly increased performance in high-density altitude areas of operation, with increased safety, performance and mission capability.
The Mission Enhancement Kit is specifically designed for the King Air 350ER at 16,500 and 17,500 pounds maximum allowable takeoff weight (MTOW), and is specifically developed for military and government operations. It includes two factory-new Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) PT6A-67A engines, a new MT 5-bladed composite propeller assemblies and spinners, a True Blue Power lithium-ion battery and Advent’s Electronic Anti-Skid Braking (eABS) system. Training, support and a five-year/2,500 hour enhanced new-engine warranty are also included.
The new product will provide a 25-30 percent increase in power, which translates into improved climb and cruise performance for King Air 350ERs, especially during operations in high-density altitudes (high, hot). Although the PT6A-67A will produce a 400-thermodynamic shaft horsepower (SHP) increase over the stock PT6A-60A, the Mission Enhancement Kit will actually reduce the overall weight of the aircraft by about 18 pounds.
Testing is underway at Blackhawk headquarters in Waco, Texas, and the Federal Aviation Administration Supplemental Type Certification (STC) is expected to be completed early in the second quarter of 2018. Once approved, SNC will exclusively provide the Mission Enhancement Kit, including the Blackhawk Engine+ Upgrade STC Kit, Advent eABS and True Blue battery, to the Special Missions market for the United States and most foreign governments/military aircraft weighing 16,500 lbs. and above. SNC will complete the installations at their network of authorized install facilities.
For more information on SNC visit www.sncorp.com.
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