Hawker 800

The Hawker 800 is a mid-size twin-engine business jet developed in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace from the BAe 125-700, then assembled by Raytheon Aircraft and Hawker Beechcraft. First flown in May 1983, it gave rise to military maritime search and rescue and signals intelligence versions used by Japan and South Korea.

Development

The British Aerospace board approved the improvement programme for the 125-700 series in April 1981. The 125-800 series is distinguished by a redesigned windscreen, a modified rear fuselage fairing, a glass cockpit, wingtip devices and Garrett TFE731-5R-1H engines uprated from 3,700 to 4,300 lbf. Whereas nineteen years had been needed from the BAe 125's first flight in August 1962 to reach the 500th airframe sold, the 800 series recorded its 200th sale in about five years. Raytheon bought BAe Corporate Jets in 1994, then sold its aircraft manufacturing business to Hawker Beechcraft Corp. in March 2007. The Hawker 850XP, certified in March 2006, adds winglets extending the range by a further 100 nautical miles. Two variants were announced in October 2006: the Hawker 750 and the Hawker 900XP. The unit cost stood at $13,786,100 in 2006 and at $16.07 million for the 900XP in 2012. After the bankruptcy of Hawker Beechcraft in 2013, Beechcraft ended the line.

Design

The fuselage sections, wings and control surfaces are produced in the United Kingdom at the Hawker Beechcraft and Airbus UK facilities, partially equipped, then shipped to Wichita, Kansas, for final assembly and testing. Power comes from two 4,300 lbf Honeywell TFE731-5BRs, for a maximum speed of 456 knots at 29,000 ft, a ceiling of 43,000 ft and a range of 2,580 nautical miles with maximum payload. Standard avionics comprise the Honeywell SPZ-800, two RCZ-850 integrated communication units and a Primus 870 weather radar. The Japanese U-125A receives large observation windows, a flare and marker buoy launcher, a system for dropping life rafts and survival equipment, enhanced protection against salt corrosion, a 360-degree Toshiba search radar and Melco thermal imaging equipment.

Operational History

Eight aircraft derived from the Hawker 800XP, specially equipped for tactical aerial reconnaissance, surveillance and SIGINT, were delivered to South Korea in 2000 under the designation RC-800 and are based at Seoul Air Base. Other military users include the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, the Mozambique air force, the Nigerian Air Force, the Pakistan Navy and the Philippine Air Force.

Variants

• Hawker 800XP: main production version, 475 sold between 1995 and 2005 for $10 to 13.5 million, carrying nine passengers over more than 2,400 nautical miles.
• Hawker 750: lighter, shorter-range version, 48 built, with the ventral fuel tank replaced by a 47 cubic foot external baggage compartment.
• Hawker 850XP: identical to the 800XP but fitted with winglets, improved avionics and a redesigned interior.
• Hawker 900XP: powered by Honeywell TFE731-50BR engines for increased range.
• U-125A: Japanese maritime search and rescue variant fitted with a search radar and dropping equipment.