Hawker Pacific has delivered its fourth and final special mission Beechcraft King Air 350 to the NZ Defence Force (NZDF).
The new multi-engine KA350 aircraft will begin service with a focus on new aircrew training.
Under a 10-year agreement with the NZDF, Hawker Pacific is responsible for acquisition, modification and delivery of four multi-functioned mission focused King Air 350 (KA350) aircraft. It is also charged with delivering transport and training systems through real in-flight and virtual methods, and supporting these with a ground base training system, including engineering and logistics support, for use by the Royal NZ Air Force (RNZAF) at Base Ohakea.
Building on the NZDF interim Advanced Pilot Training Capability that served its former Beechcraft King Air 200 fleet, this new aircrew training capability provides airborne and ground training systems for multi- engine pilot training while concurrently training and graduating air warfare officers for the first time in NZ in more than two decades.
An acceptance ceremony for the fourth and final KA350 delivery was held at Ohakea with NZ Minister of Defence Ron Mark.
“Hawker Pacific is proud to have successfully completed this milestone delivery to the NZDF,” Craig Purry, Vice President Government Business Asia-Pacific, Jet Aviation, said. “Our experts in special missions and those of our strategic partners (Marops and Collins Aerospace) have spent three and a half years alongside the RNZAF and NZDF in bringing this comprehensive training capability to life. I know these modified, mission-focused aircraft and ground training systems will deliver on their assignments.”
“As we move on to the next phase of our agreement, the Hawker Pacific NZ team whose sterling efforts have enabled this capability, will continue to provide exceptional service as they deliver on the through life, turn-key systems support for the RNZAF 42 Squadron,” Purry concluded.