U.S. Army-Owned Special Missions Beechcraft King Air 300 Passes 50,000 Flight Hours

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A Beechcraft King Air 300 that’s been part of the U.S. Army’s Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System aircraft fleet since 2009 recently surpassed 50,000 flight hours. (Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation.)

Any aircraft that surpasses 50,000 flight hours deserves a nod of admiration. Textron Aviation and the U.S. Army have done just that by highlighting a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 300 turboprop that recently surpassed the 50,000-hour mark. The plane was first delivered in 1987 and has been a member of the U.S. Army’s aircraft fleet since 2009.

“A Solid Performer”

Beechcraft parent company Textron Aviation says the King Air 300 in question belongs to the U.S. Army’s fleet of Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (MARSS) aircraft. MARSS aircraft deliver imagery and signal intelligence data directly to warfighters. Textron Aviation Vice President of Special Mission Sales and Strategy, Bob Gibbs, says the King Air 300 series represents a leading twin-turboprop special missions solution due to its unmatched abilities, ruggedness, and reliability.

“The King Air model 300 platform has been a solid performer,” says Col. James DeBoer, project manager of the U.S. Army Fixed Wing Project Office. “The aircraft was utilised heavily in CENTCOM to fill capability gaps over the past decade. An aircraft that was able to reach 50,000 flight hours, with more than 30,000 hours in mostly austere environments, deserves recognition, as do the soldiers who flew and maintained the aircraft, and those who stood at the ready to support its missions through parts replacement, repairs, and other requirements.”

King Of The Air

Textron says it has delivered roughly 7,600 King Air turboprops worldwide since 1964, making the family the world’s best-selling turboprop lineup. Over the decades, King Airs have combined to surpass 62 million flight hours. Current King Air models include the 15-passenger King Air 360ER, the 11-passenger King Air 360, and the nine-passenger King Air 260. In addition to business travel, the King Air is well-suited to air ambulance, utility transport, training, and ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) mission roles.

Find Your King Air Aircraft

You’ll find a big selection of new and used Beechcraft aircraft for sale every day on ControllerEMEA.co.uk, including King Air 300s, 90s, 100s, 200s, 350s, and 360s.

Calculate Aircraft Costs Over Time

To determine how much specific aircraft will cost your organisation over time, and to compare the operating costs of multiple types of aircraft, visit Aircraft Cost Calculator.

Source: Textron Aviation