A single-engine turboprop concept that was originally created by former Hawker Beechcraft Corp. is being revisited by Textron Aviation. Beechcraft initially announced the plan in 2012, but it was shelved due to the company’s financial turmoil at the time.
“We plan to have something to show people next year at this time,” Michael Thacker, Textron Aviation senior vice president for engineering, told publication Aviation Week in an interview at Oshkosh 2015, “The goal is for the aircraft to have a range of more than 1,500 nm, fly at more than 280 kt. and be the best value in its class.”
Textron Aviation sees the single-prop as an opportunity to fulfill a gap in it’s product line. The former Hawker Beechcraft had gauged customer interest in the single-engine turboprop as quite strong, but was unable to invest the capital necessary for its development. Textron, well armed with financial resources, has continued to invest in new products ever since purchasing Beechcraft after its bankruptcy emergence.
Textron’s intentions are for the new single-prop to outperform the competition – from cabin size and acquisition cost, to performance capability. Textron plans for the new SETP to be a clean-sheet design. Considering that Textron continues to have a strong relationship with Pratt & Whitney with the Caravan series and the King Air series, the engine will most likely be a PT6.
If all goes well, Textron plans to have the aircraft available for inspection at Airventure 2016.