[Greg Hyde]

From the May edition of Air International:

More King Airs

The Royal Australian Air Force is in the process of acquiring four new Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft from Hawker Pacific in a lease deal that has yet to be publicly announced.

In response to questions, a spokesperson for the Australian Department of Defence said the aircraft will be operated by 32 Squadron at East Sale in Victoria, for the training of RAAF Air Combat Officers and Royal Australian Navy AvWOs.

The spokesperson said the new aircraft are being leased through the current King Air sustainment programme managed by Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group.

The aircraft will be delivered to East Sale during the course of the year and it is also understood that a further four will be acquired under a similar arrangement in 2018. The initial four aircraft have already been registered to Hawker Pacific and will be transferred to the State Register throughout the year.

The Royal Australian Air Force currently operates eight King Air 350s in the training role, fitted with the Rockwell Collins Proline 2 avionics system and a further eight, with the later Proline 21 cockpit. All 16 aircraft are operated by 38 Squadron at Townsville in the transport role.

The King Air fleet has been the subject of a review to consider the consolidation of operations within one squadron, most likely at East Sale, as the leases on aircraft expire over the next two years. This would see the fleet based on the Proline 21 cockpit.

However, it is unclear how the new aircraft fit within this plan. Despite several attempts to clarify the situation, the Department of Defence has declined to answer any further questions on the subject.