Hawker 800
The Hawker 800 is a mid-size twin-engine corporate aircraft. It is a development of the British Aerospace BAe 125, and was assembled by Hawker Beechcraft.
Development
In April 1981, the British Aerospace Board sanctioned the programme to improve the BAe 125-700 series. By May 1983 the new aircraft was ready for its first test flight.
The 800 series has a number of modifications and changes over the 700, the most noticeable being the redesigned cockpit windscreen. Accompanying this are a modified rear fuselage fairing, as well as a glass cockpit and uprated (from 3,700 to 4,300 lb) Garrett TFE731-5R-1H engines. British Aerospace also improved the wing by incorporating new outer wing sections. This helped to reduce drag and improve aerodynamic efficiency.
The 800 series would become a sales success. From the first BAe 125 flight in August 1961 it took nineteen years until the 500th airframe was sold. In a little over five years British Aerospace were registering the 200th sale of the 800 series.
In 1994 Beech Aircraft (which was also controlled by Raytheon) merged with Raytheon Corporate Jets to form Raytheon Aircraft. In March 2007, Raytheon Aircraft Company was sold to Hawker Beechcraft Corp., a company formed and controlled by GS Capital Partners (an affiliate of Goldman Sachs) and Onex Partners of Canada.
The current version is identified as the Hawker 850XP and was certified for operation in March 2006. The 850XP is identical to the 800XP except that it includes winglets, which have extended its operating range by 100 nautical miles (190 km). This version also incorporates upgraded avionics and a redesigned interior. The Hawker 850XP essentially fills the gap left behind by the Hawker 1000 when production of that aircraft ceased.
Two new variants were announced in October 2006 for future deliveries:[1]
- The Hawker 750, in which the ventral fuel tank is replaced by an externally-accessed baggage pannier, which reduces range slightly.
- The Hawker 900XP, using new Honeywell TFE731-50BR engines for increased range
After the bankruptcy of Hawker Beechcraft the production of Business Jets ceased
Design
The Hawker 800 is similar to most modern airframes in requiring sub-assemblies to be constructed away from the final point of manufacture. The fuselage sections, wings and control surfaces are manufactured and assembled in the United Kingdom in a combination of Hawker Beechcraft's own facility and those owned by Airbus UK, which inherited much of BAE Systems's civil aircraft manufacturing capacity. These sections are partially fitted out and installed with control surfacing and major systems before being shipped to Hawker Beechcraft's main manufacturing site in Wichita, Kansas for final assembly, fitting out and testing.
Military variants
A military version of the Hawker 800 is in use by South Korea for tactical reconnaissance, surveillance and SIGINT (SIGnals INTelligence) tasks, and 8 specially-equipped aircraft were delivered in 2000. The Republic of Korea Air Force calls them RC-800s, and they are based at Seongnam.[2]
Japan uses a maritime search and rescue variant of the Hawker 800. It is designated the U-125A in Japan Air Self-Defense Force service. This variant has large observation windows, a flare and marker-buoy dispenser system, life-raft and emergency equipment dropping system and enhanced salt water corrosion prevention. The aircraft also has a Toshiba 360-degree search radar, melco thermal imaging equipment and other military communications equipment for its mission.[3]
Variants
- Hawker 750
- Hawker 800
- Hawker 800XP
- Hawker 800XP Pro Line
- Hawker 800XPi
- Hawker 850XP
- Hawker 900XP
- U-125
- RC-800
Operators
Civil operators
The aircraft is operated by private individuals, companies and executive charter operators, and in fractional ownership programs.
Military operators
- Republic of Korea Air Force: First delivery in 2001
- Mozambique Air Force received a single Hawker 850XP in September 2013.[4]
Specifications (Hawker 850XP)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2 pilots
- Capacity: 8 passengers typical, 13 maximum
- Length: 51 ft 2 in (15.6 m)
- Wingspan: 54 ft 4 in (16.5 m)
- Height: 18 ft 1 in (5.5 m)
- Empty weight: 15,670 lb (7,108 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 28,000 lb (12,701 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Honeywell TFE731-5BR turbofan, 4660 lbf (20,700 N) each
Performance
- Never exceed speed: Mach 0.80
- Maximum speed: 448 kts (514 mph) 830 km/h
- Cruise speed: 402 kts (463 mph) 745 km/h
- Stall speed: 170 km/h ()
- Range: 2,642 nm (4,893 km)3040 mi
- Service ceiling: 41,000 ft (12,497 m)
- Rate of climb: 9.9 m/s (1948.8 ft/min)
See also
- Related development
- BAe 125/Hawker 1000
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
References
- Notes
- ↑ "2006 BIZAV REVIEW". avbuyer.com. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ↑ "South Korea Spends $200M on RC-800 Fleet Maintenance & Ground Stations". defenseindustrydaily.com. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ↑ "U-125 Peace Krypton". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ↑ Isby, David C. and David Willis. "Mozambique Rebuilding its Air Force". Air International, Vol.85, No. 6. December 2013. p. 26. ISSN 0306-5634.
- Bibliography
- Gunston, Bill. Hawker: The story of the 125. (Airworthy Publications International Limited, 1996, ISBN 0-9528845-0-X)
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hawker 800. |
- Hawker Official product page
- Farnborough 2012 Day 3 News Aviation Week pp52-53 tells the history of the 125/800
- Hawker 800XP Jet specifications and performance data
- For a complete list of Hawker 125 variants
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||