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King Air 350

The King Air 350 (KA350) is a light, twin engine, fixed wing, nine passenger, commuter aircraft. Our Air Force has four KA350s in its fleet, introduced as part of the Air Crew Training Capability project (ACTC). The KA350 has been modified for the NZDF to allow the transport for nine passengers, Air Warfare training and sensor suite training.

A King Air 350 aircraft sits on the flightline. The sky is cloudy with partial blue sky.

The ACTC project also introduced ground-based training systems for both pilots and air warfare officers. Air Warfare Officer training is conducted using airborne consoles and a mission management system installed in the KA350 cabin.

Pilot training can be conducted in any of the three configurations. There are two ship-sets of consoles allowing Air Warfare Officer training to be conducted on two KA350 aircraft concurrently.

The sensor suite, that is fitted to two KA350s, consists of an Electro-Optic and Infra-Red camera and a single array multi-mode surveillance radar. The sensor suite is intended to be utilised for sensor operator training in the future. 

Inside the cockpit of an Royal New Zealand Air Force King Air 350 aircraft A Royal New Zealand Air Force Air Warfare Officer wearing a headset documents at a station in the King Air 350 aircraft during flight. Two pale coloured seats inside a Royal New Zealand Air Force King Air 350 aircraft

Specifications

Aircraft

King Air 350 (KA350)

Manufacturer

Beechcraft

Power plant

Two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A reverse flow, free turbine engines rated at 1050 shaft horsepower each

Propellers

Four-bladed Hartzell propellors

Length

14.22m

Wingspan

17.65m 

Height

4.36m

Basic weight

4,630kg (10,200lb)

Max take-off weigh

6,800kg (15,000lb)

Max payload

Eight passengers and 500lb baggage

Max range

3,480km (1,880nm) with two pilots 1,480km (800nm) with two pilots, eight passengers and 250lb baggage

Cruising speed

535–570kph (290–310kts)

Max altitude

10,668m (35,000ft) 

Endurance

7.5 hours (two pilots) 5.7 hours (two pilots, eight passengers and 250lb baggage) 4.8 hours (four crew, max height 6,000ft)

Crew

Two pilots for transport operations Two pilots for multi-engine training Four crew for non-pilot training