A U.S. Army C-12 Huron, the military version of the Beechcraft King Air turboprop twin, has become the 1,000th King Air to receive Garmin’s G1000 integrated avionics retrofit. Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems of Greenville, South Carolina, upgraded the Huron with G1000 NXi avionics and Garmin Autothrottle, and Army officials accepted the airplane during an October 6 event at Stevens.
As part of an avionics modernization effort to keep its C-12 fleet mission-ready through 2050, the Army has upgraded more than 40 Hurons with G1000 NXi, with Stevens holding the installation contract. Stevens senior v-p Jim Williams said Army crews report lower cockpit workload with the retrofit and Autothrottle.
“By replacing aging analog systems with reliable, data-enabled G1000 technology, we are mitigating obsolescence, reducing lifecycle maintenance burdens, and improving operational readiness,” said Lt. Col. James Hickey, the Army’s project manager for fixed-wing aircraft.
Garmin received its first FAA supplemental type certificate for a King Air G1000 retrofit in November 2007 and certified the G1000 NXi upgrade in January 2017. Approvals now cover the C90A/B, 200, B200, 300, and 350 series, as well as C-12 military variants. Regulators in Europe, Canada, and Brazil have validated the approvals.
G1000 NXi installations add synthetic vision with a 3D view of the airport surface during taxi, an emergency descent mode that activates automatically if the cabin loses pressurization, and a one-engine-inoperative version of Garmin’s electronic stability and protection system.
Eligible King Airs can also receive Garmin’s Autothrottle and emergency Autoland system. Autothrottle manages engine power from takeoff to landing, holding selected airspeeds, guarding against torque and interstage turbine temperature exceedances, and compensating when an engine fails.
If the pilot becomes incapacitated, Autoland selects an airport, makes radio calls, lands the airplane, and shuts down the engines with no human input. Garmin expects to certify both systems before year-end for King Airs fitted with increased-gross-weight modifications up to 16,500 pounds.
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