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Plans for Hawker 450 unveiled

Raytheon Aircraft has announced that it will develop and build an all-new, light, mid-size business jet called the Hawker 450. The aircraft will offer a range of more than 2000 nmi, speed in excess of Mach 0.8, and a 71-in standup cabin with double-club seating. Priced between $7.8 and $9 million, the aircraft will feature a composite fuselage and swept aluminum wing design similar to the one for the company's Premier I and Hawker Horizon business jets. "The composite fuselage technology advantage will provide the Hawker 450 with a cabin size of a mid-sized business jet with a price closer to a light jet," said Raytheon Aircraft's Chairman and CEO.

Raytheon Aircraft has announced that it will develop an all-new,
light, mid-size business jet called the Hawker 450.

Honeywell was awarded a contract to supply the main engines and avionics for the Hawker 450. The contract, which is valued at $1 billion over the first ten years, will provide the aircraft with Honeywell's Primus Epic integrated avionics suite and TFE731-40 propulsion system.

Primus Epic's architecture is designed to incorporate any number of aircraft functions such as traffic alert and collision avoidance, enhanced ground proximity warning system, and other aircraft functions that were traditionally done by an individual avionics unit. By incorporating these functions into one system, Primus Epic reduces power requirements and aircraft weight while improving reliability and maintainability, according to Honeywell.

Honeywell's TFE731-40 turbofan engine is capable of delivering 4250 lb
of static takeoff thrust and 1010 lb of thrust at 40,000 ft.

"Just as Primus Epic is designed to reduce the number of avionics components in the airplane, which reduces weight and improves reliability, our TFE731-40 engine is also designed to deliver lower operating costs, increased performance, as well as improved durability, reliability, and maintainability compared to other engines," said Bob Johnson, President and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace.

Honeywell's Primus Epic architecture is designed to incorporate
a number of aircraft functions into one integrated system to
reduce power requirements and aircraft weight.

The propulsion system includes the engine, engine buildup, nacelle, mounts, and thrust reverser system. Each TFE731-40 turbofan engine will deliver 4250 lb of static takeoff thrust at sea level and 1010 lb of thrust at 40,000 ft. The engines will enable Mach 0.8 travel with a specific fuel consumption of 0.457.

The aircraft will feature a 71-in cabin with doubled-club
or center-club seating configurations.

Raytheon Travel Air, a fractional aircraft ownership company, has already ordered 50 Hawker 450 business jets, with options for an additional 25 aircraft. The order is valued between $585 and $675 million. Although Raytheon has not revealed certification and delivery dates for the new aircraft, it has announced that full-scale development work on the design will commence following the Premier I's certification this year.

Frank Bokulich

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