Page 27 - Volume 15 Number 9

The term “Special Missions” had its origin as early as World War I and has evolved during the past 50 years to encompass a plethora of unique aerial applications, ranging from routine photographic reconnaissance of the battlefield to highly-classified surveillance and intelligence gathering operations.
During the past 35 years*, more than 1,500 Beechcraft King Airs designed for Special Missions have been delivered to customers worldwide, according to Hawker Beechcraft Corporation.
In 1964, the advent of the Model 90 King Air opened new possibilities for the infant Special Missions market in part because of increased overall performance provided by its two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A- series turboprop engines. Realizing these advantages, in 1968 the U.S. Army ordered 14 Model A90-1 King Airs designated RU-21A and RU-21D for Special Missions applications, as well as the RU-21E (Model A90-4) configured with special wing-mounted antennae
for “Guardrail” electronic countermeasures and communications operations. In addition, the Army acquired three early production Model 200 King Airs in 1974 that were converted to A100-1 configuration and equipped for “Guardrail” duties.
In the wake of the Model 200’s stellar success in the business aircraft marketplace, in the mid-1970s Beech Aircraft Corporation officials recognized the airframe’s potential for commercial, governmental and Para-public Special Missions applications. As a result, in 1976 Model 200 constructor number (c/n) BB-186 was converted to the prototype Model 200T and given c/n BT-1. Designed for maritime patrol operations, the
Beech Aircraft Company’s initial foray into the relatively untapped special mission market occurred in 1976 when the Model 200T was introduced. The Super King Air’s highly adaptable airframe and spa- cious cabin offered a wide variety of configurations for customers. (Special Collections and University Archives, Wichita State University Libraries)
SEPTEMBER 2021
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 25