BUSINESS AIRCRAFT FLY HIGH
for EW (as the RC-12) and for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) operations (as the MC-12W). The USAF also has a specialised EW version called Ceasar (Communications Electronic Attack with Surveillance and Reconnaissance). It is crammed with electronic sensors, jammers, radios and cameras that can help ground commanders eavesdrop for hours on enemy walkie-talkie and cell phone conversations. It can pinpoint their locations and even provide immediate translation.
The MC-12W Liberty is an ISR special mission aircraft of the USAF. It is an enhanced version of the King Air 350 and offers six hours of flight time. It also comes in the King Air 350ER variant that provides more than eight hours in the air. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A engines, each producing 1,050 hp. This variant has enough flexibility to fly low and slow or cruise at 300 knots and 35,000 feet, depending on the specific mission. No other aircraft in its class matches its performance. Meanwhile, the US Army too is in the process of building 24 special mission systems using Beechcraft King Air 350ERs. Its enhanced medium altitude reconnaissance and surveillance system (EMARSS) is a low-risk, low-cost ISR aircraft built by a Boeing-led team on the King Air platform.
The King Air has six to 12 seats (depending on configuration and role) in a spacious, comfortable cabin. It is reportedly fun to fly and has excellent fuel efficiency. Perhaps more importantly, it is a trustworthy and reliable aircraft with a spectacular safety record. The current offerings include four main models: the King Air 90GTx, 250, 350i and 350ER. Various King Air models like the 350iER (Extended Range) are used for intelligence gathering, EW, aerial survey and surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance, apart from basic transportation.
King Air machines are equally popular with government, military and commercial customers – proved by the fact that there are over 7,400 Beechcraft King Air produced and still in production today, and 60 million flight hours have been flown globally. However, Beechcraft has been on something of an economic roller-coaster and is now a subsidiary of Textron Aviation. Textron, founded in 2014, specialises in the general aviation business and sells iconic business aviation aircraft of the Beechcraft, Cessna, and Hawker brands. Clearly military customers everywhere are increasingly deciding that business aircraft are especially suitable for special mission roles and can significantly reduce acquisition, operation and maintenance costs. Air forces can even buy preowned King Airs and convert them in order to reduce costs. Indeed, customisation is a basic ingredient of the process of converting a business platform to special mission applications and a considerable amount of time, effort and cost may go into creating a one-of-a-kind machine – which is what the buyer often wants.
Even the USAF, due to replace its ageing fleet of 16 Boeing 707 JSTARS, is looking for more cost-effective options and a business jet may be the best solution. Two contenders are the Lockheed Martin/Gulfstream G550 and the Northrop Grumman/Raytheon/Bombardier Global 6000 jet. Troy Miller of Gulfstream Aerospace says, “Our team feels we can [provide] a platform that is much more reliable, has much lower operating costs and requires far fewer people to operate.” This neatly sums up the advantages of a business jet. Boeing itself is in the running with a modified version of its 737-700 commercial airliner. Being the incumbent it perhaps fancies its chances in the contest which is expected to be decided by late 2017. However, with two capable business jets providing strong competition, it may be unwise to bet on Boeing.