FAA Approves STC for King Air 350ER Engine Upgrade

Two companies have partnered to develop a supplemental type certificate for a Beechcraft King Air 350ER engine modification that will give the aircraft greatly increased performance.

According to a press release from the Sierra Nevada Corporation and Blackhawk Modifications’s government and military sales offshoot, Vector-Hawk Aerospace, the XP67A upgrade gives the King Air 350ER a 25 to 30 percent increase in power, and provides an 18-pound reduction in aircraft weight. The FAA recently approved the upgrade for the 350ER at a maximum allowable takeoff weight of up to 17,500 pounds.

“The Mission Enhancement Kit provides users with the most capable aircraft available, providing greater usable power, allowing for increased mission payloads and significantly longer loiter times, while providing increased safety and reduced risk throughout the range of operations and mission locations. It is mission endurance, safety and options combined into one solution,” said Tim Owings, executive vice president of SNC’s Integrated Mission Systems (IMS) business area.

The modification was initially announced last October at the NBAA Convention. In August 2017 the FAA approved a similar modification for the King Air 350.

Jim Allmon, president and CEO of Blackhawk Modifications, explained the implications of applying the upgrade. “The mission is often limited by the lack of second segment climb performance produced by the stock [Pratt & Whitney] PT6A-60A engines, which inhibits the amount of fuel the aircraft can carry. With our new XP67A upgrade, we meet that mission requirement at the max gross weight enabling Special Missions operators to use the 350ER to its full mission potential,” he said.