Raytheon Aircraft’s Hawker Horizon super-midsize business jet is beating projections–performance projections, that is. Schedule projections continue to be something else, as the new jet moves slowly but surely closer to certification, now planned for the middle of next year, with initial deliveries targeted to start by the end of the year. The delays in the program–the aircraft was originally scheduled for certification in 2001–are explained by Raytheon Aircraft as the “normal trials and tribulations” of a completely new design and the complexity of its integrated avionics.
“It’s a complicated airplane,” conceded Hawker division president Brad Hatt. But a joy to fly, in his opinion. Hatt said Raytheon wants to ensure that when deliveries start, the airplane will have no quality kinks.
The program has completed 50 percent of flight tests, amassing more than 700 hours on three test aircraft. FAA flight tests were set to begin at the end of last month. “The Hawker Horizon is proving its design in flight test and exceeding estimates in critical areas,” according to Raytheon. The company says the airplane is exceeding those estimates in the following areas:
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