The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996."Raytheon Beechcraft King Air 200." airliners.net., July 30, 2006. They form the King Air line together with the King Air Model 90 and 100 series.Phillips 1992, p. 7-10.
Beechcraft currently offers the 250 (design. B200GT) and the larger 350i (B300) models. The 350ER (B300CER) is available to government, military and commercial customers for special mission operations such as aerial survey, air ambulance, flight inspection and surveillance. The Beechcraft 1900 regional airliner was derived from the Model B200 King Air.Phillips 1992, p. 70.
The Super King Air family has been in continuous production since 1974, the longest production run of any civilian turboprop aircraft in its class. It outlasted all of its previous competitors, and even its intended replacement, the Model 2000 Starship. As of March 2025, the only other pressurized multi-engine turboprop utility aircraft in production is the Piaggio P.180 Avanti.
Development
Super King Air 200
The Model 200 was originally conceived as the Model 101 in 1969, and was a development of the Model 100 King Air.Phillips 1992, p. 65. The Model 200 had essentially the same fuselage as the Model 100, with changes to the rear fuselage to accommodate a new T-tail (in place of the 100's conventional tail with all-moving trimmable horizontal stabilizer) and structural changes to allow a higher pressurization differential. Apart from the T-tail, other changes included Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-41 engines rated at instead of the engines of the Model A100 then in production, and an increased wing span with extra fuel capacity.Phillips 1992, p. 64. Overall, the 200 was longer than the A100, with a wingspan greater, containing more fuel."Raytheon 90/100 King Air." airliners.net. Retrieved: January 31, 2010. Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) was increased by 1,000 lb (450 kg). After protracted development, including extensive wind tunnel testing of the design (especially of the T-tail which was wind tunnel-tested for 375 hours), the first prototype flew for the first time on October 27, 1972;Jackson 2003 a second prototype took to the air on December 15 the same year. Three production aircraft were built in 1972 and delivered to the U.S. Army; these three were designated Model A100-1s by Beechcraft and were given the military designation RU-21J;Phillips 1992, p. 83. the first of some 400 T-tail King Airs to be ordered by the U.S. armed forces.Phillips 1992, pp. 84–85. The 200 received civil certification in December 1973Phillips 1992, p. 91. and the first civil delivery took place in February 1974.Potts, Mike. "The King Air Story (Part 1)". avbuyer.com, May 2004. Retrieved: January 31, 2010.
In 1976, Beechcraft developed the Model 200T, a version configured for aerial surveying or reconnaissance. The prototype was created by modifying a Model 200 aircraft, constructor's number (c/no.) BB-186; the modifications included changes to the belly aft of the wing to allow photography with a vertical camera, provision for a surveillance radar in a pod under the fuselage, dome-shaped windows on the sides of the rear fuselage to allow observation directly below the aircraft by occupants, and a usable capacity fuel tank on each wingtip to increase the aircraft's range. Customers could specify any combination of these modifications when ordering a 200T; all 200Ts were Model 200s modified at the factory and given new constructor's numbers.
The next model was the Model 200C in 1979, equipped with a large cargo door on the left-hand side of the rear fuselage with an airstair door similar to the Model 200's door built into it.Phillips 1992, p. 84. The door opening was 4 ft 4 in (1.33 m) high and 4 ft 4 in (1.33 m) wide, allowing a larger range of items to be loaded into the cabin, and the new model was popularly outfitted as an air ambulance. The 200C fuselage was a new design and not a modification of the Model 200 fuselage. The Model A200C military version was developed concurrently. In 1981, a Model 200C (c/no. BL-24) was modified as the Model 200CT, fitted with the same wingtip fuel tanks as installed on Model 200Ts; there was only one 200CT, but it led to other aircraft after an updated version of the Model 200 entered production.
This updated and improved version was the Model B200, which entered production in 1981. Fitted with PT6A-42 engines, rated at , but with improvements that resulted in greater aircraft performance. Other changes included increased pressurization differential of and changes to the cockpit layout. The Model 200C gave way to the Model B200C the same year, with the first Model B200T and Model B200CT modified from a B200 and B200C respectively, the following year. Commencing in 1984 the B200, B200C and their derivatives were fitted with a revised landing gear retraction mechanism, actuated by hydraulic rams powered by an electric pump installed in the Left wing. This replaced the earlier electro-mechanical retraction system of gearboxes, driveshafts and chains and sprockets that was a throwback to the Twin Bonanza. At the same time the propellers fitted were changed from 3-bladed Hartzells to 3-bladed McCauleys. Forty-seven B200Cs built that year were delivered to the U.S. military, with dozens more of a similar standard ordered in subsequent years, but not given official civil model designations.
A total of 14 B200s were produced in 1989 and 1990 in a 13-seat high density configuration with a belly cargo pod; these were marketed by Beechcraft as a commuter airliner under the designation Model 1300. Customers for this version included Mesa Airlines. The propeller installation changed again in 1992, when Beechcraft offered the option of having 4-bladed Hartzell or McCauley propellers, or 3-bladed Hartzell propellers; the 3-bladed McCauley propellers were no longer available.FAA Beech 200 and 300 Series Type Certificate retrieved December 11, 2007. From October 1995 Beechcraft offered an updated B200 with Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) avionics, marketed as the "B200SE Super King Air" (for Special Edition). The following year the "Super" name was dropped from all marketing and advertising. In October 2003, Beechcraft announced another avionics upgrade for the B200,"Beech King Air Timeline." Wings Over Kansas. Retrieved: October 14, 2007. the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 suite.
The B200 remains in production, with a total of 13 built in 2009. The B200C is available for order; in January 2009 two B200Cs were delivered to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS)."Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia 2007/2008 Annual Report." flyingdoctor.org. Retrieved: January 31, 2010. The two B200Cs were the first examples delivered in about three years (the most recent B200Cs prior to this were two delivered in early 2006 for use as air ambulances in Scotland)."UK civil aircraft register." caa.co.uk. Retrieved: January 21, 2009."Hawker Beechcraft B200C." Hawker Beechcraft Press Release Retrieved: October 16, 2007. On May 21, 2007, during the 7th Annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Geneva, Hawker Beechcraft (as the company was now known) introduced the Model B200GT updated version of the B200."Model B200GT'." Hawker Beechcraft Press Release. Retrieved: October 13, 2007. The B200GT is fitted with a new model of PT6 engine developed specifically for it by Pratt & Whitney Canada; while still rated at the new PT6A-52 develops maximum power to an even higher altitude than the −42 it replaces, thus further improving aircraft performance. The B200GT and B200CGT with large cargo door were certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on November 16, 2007 and by the end of 2009, 97 B200GTs had been delivered. Hawker Beechcraft has elected to use new constructor's number prefixes for the B200GT and B200CGT; B200GTs are being built with the prefix "BY" and B200CGTs with the prefix "BZ".
In 2014 Beechcraft announced the availability of an option (available at manufacture and for existing aircraft) to increase the MTOW of the B200GT from to , marketed as the King Air 250EP (for Extra Payload). The upgrade puts the 250EP into the same weight class as the King Air 350, necessitating various system changes to meet certification requirements and a special rating for pilots. In 2019, the 250 unit cost was US$6.61M (~$ in ).
King Air 260 On December 2, 2020, Textron updated the King Air 200 series with the 260, with deliveries expected in early 2021. The model has an improved autothrottle, a Multi-Scan weather radar, a range of and a top cruise speed of with up to nine passengers. The type was FAA certified in March 2021, and European Aviation Safety Agency type certified in September 2021.
In 2023, its equipped price was $7.78M.
Model 200 military variants
The United States Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps have all flown versions of the Super King Air 200Air International January 1980 p. 14.. As noted above some have been "off-the-shelf" civil versions, but the majority have been purpose-built for the military and were treated by Beechcraft and the FAA as a separate series, the A200 series. A significant minority of military versions are known purely by their military designations, with no FAA model designations being assigned to them, although they do have basically equivalent civilian model counterparts. The military designation varies from service to service, but most are called C-12 Huron or UC-12. These are used for personnel transport. The Army also operates the RC-12 Guardrail series of aircraft for military intelligence missions.
The Canadian Forces Air Command took delivery of two second-hand early-production Model 200 Super King Airs leased from Awood Air in 1990. These were given the designation CT-145 under the CF's identification system and were used as multi-engine trainers, replacing Douglas C-47s. One was subsequently returned to the lessor and a third Model 200 placed into service in order that the two aircraft used would have the same cockpit layout.Martin, Patrick. "Short histories of CAF aircraft types." Martin Slides. Retrieved: October 30, 2007."Canadian historic civil aircraft register." tc.gc.ca. Retrieved: October 30, 2007. The two aircraft were replaced by eight civilian-operated 90 Model King Airs in 1995. In 2025 the Royal Canadian Air Force announced the acquisition of 7 King Air 260 aircraft. Designated the CT-145E Expeditor II, the aircraft will be used as multi-engine trainers based at 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School in Southport, Manitoba.
The King Air B200 entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 2004 as a multi-engine trainer, replacing the Jetstream T1."King Air B200." RAF. Retrieved: November 17, 2012.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force operates four B200T variants equipped with tactical command system, master search radar and forward looking infrared system.
The United States Navy awarded a contract to Beechcraft for 10 modified King Air 260 aircraft to replace the King Air H90-based T-44 Pegasus as its primary multi-engine trainer, with options to purchase up to 64 airframes. Designated as the T-54A Marlin II, the first examples were delivered on April 22, 2024, with deliveries expected to take place until 2026.
PD 290 Beechcraft considered a jet-powered version in the mid-1970s. The first prototype King Air 200 was re-engined with Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D turbofans in overwing nacelles.Phillips 1992, p. 66. Given the designation PD (Preliminary Design) 290, the aircraft was flown in this configuration for the first time on March 12, 1975. Beech did not pursue production, and the last flight was made on September 30, 1977.
Super King Air 300/350