Beechcraft King Air 260

Twin-Engine Utility Aircraft [ 2022 ]

The King Air 260 was announced by Textron in 2020 as the official successor to its popular King Air 250 line.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/22/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The King Air 260 was announced (alongside the King Air 360) by Beechcraft / Textron in 2020 as a direct successor to its popular "King Air 250" line. The twin-turboprop, utility-minded performer is a variant of the storied "Super King Air" line of which nearly 4,000 examples have been produced since service introduction occurred in 1972. The series is versatile enough to satisfy requirements of both military and civilian circles where, in the former, the United States Air Force and Army services join the Royal Australian Air Force in its active use today in various modified, mission-specific forms.

The Super King Air series is an evolution of the earlier "King Air" line by Beechcraft debuted in 1964 followed by over 3,100 examples manufactured into 2021. With its low-mounted wing mainplanes, "T-style" tail unit, and twin-engine layout, the type proved adaptable to many roles highlighted by the plethora of variants that ultimately followed. With the Super King Air's entrance to the market in the early 1970s, the new version overtook the old in the Beechcraft marketing push - its own notable variants going on to include the C-12 "Huron" and the Model 1900.

The King Air 260 returns with the same general mainplane and engine arrangement consistent with the Super King Air series. Dimensionally smaller than its King Air 360 cousin, the Model 260 has room for nine occupants (including two pilots), a useful load of up to 3,760lb, and a take-off distance of 2,111 feet. Range is out to 1,720 nautical miles and maximum cruising speed reaches 310 knots. The entry includes six new interior color schemes in a single aisle configuration. Winglets are fitted to the mainplane tips and the pilots are seated in a side-by-side fashion in the cockpit with redundant control schemes and a shared center console throttle quadrant.

The cockpit exudes all-modern detailing, dominated by three full-color touchscreen displays. The instrument panel sports easy-to-reach switches and dials for both seats and each crewman is given a yoke-style control column. To reduce pilot workload, the aircraft is granted the IS&S ThrustSense Autothrottle system. The Flight Management System (FMS) manages pressurization through a digital control scheme, negating any manual management. The standard weather radar produces a multi-scan capability and can be paired to the SIRIUSXM weather program to assist in regional travel across North America. The avionics suite is a Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion suite.

Power is to come from 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6A-52 series turboprop engines outputting 850 horsepower each driving four-bladed composite, constant-speed propeller units from Hartzell.

As completed, the Model 260 will have an MTOW rating of 12,500lb with an empty listed weight of 8,830lb. Dimensions include a running length of 43.9 feet, a wingspan of 57.10 feet, and a height of 14.9 feet.©MilitaryFactory.com

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February 2023 - The U.S. military has announced plans to procure sixty-four King Air 260 twins for training purposes across the Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard services.

Specifications

Service Year

2022

Origin

United States

Status

IN-DEVELOPMENT
Program in Progress.

Crew

1

Production

10
UNITS

Beechcraft / Textron - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Special-Mission: MEDical EVACuation (MEDEVAC)
Extraction of wounded combat or civilian elements by way of specialized onboard equipment and available internal volume or external carrying capability.

✓ Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.

✓ Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

✓ VIP Service
Used in the Very-Important-Person (VIP) passenger transport role, typically with above-average amenities and luxuries as standard.

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

RADAR-CAPABLE

Houses, or can house (through specialized variants), radar equipment for searching, tracking, and engagement of enemy elements.

MULTI-ENGINE

Incorporates two or more engines, enhancing survivability and / or performance.

RUGGED AIRFRAME

Inherent ability of airframe to take considerable damage.

HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE

Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.

EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE

Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.

MARITIME OPERATION

Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.

CREWSPACE PRESSURIZATION

Supports pressurization required at higher operating altitudes for crew survival.

CREW-MANAGED

Beyond a pilot, the aircraft takes advantage of additional crew specialized in specific functions aboard the aircraft.

ENCLOSED CREWSPACE(S)

Features partially- or wholly-enclosed crew workspaces.

RETRACTABLE UNDERCARRIAGE

Features retracting / retractable undercarriage to preserve aerodynamic efficiency.

ENHANCED ACCESS

Design incorporates feature(s) that facilitates loading / unloading of cargo / personnel from the aircraft.

Length

44.0 ft
(13.40 m)

Width/Span

57.9 ft
(17.65 m)

Height

14.8 ft
(4.50 m)

Empty Wgt

8,830 lb
(4,005 kg)

MTOW

12,500 lb
(5,670 kg)

Wgt Diff

+3,671 lb
(+1,665 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Beechcraft King Air 260 production variant)

monoplane / low-mounted / straight

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.

Low-Mounted
Mainplanes are low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage.

Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.

(Structural descriptors pertain to the base Beechcraft King Air 260 production variant)

Installed: 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6A-52 turboprop engines developing 850 horsepower driving four-bladed propeller units.

Max Speed

370 mph
(595 kph | 321 kts)

Cruise Speed

357 mph
(575 kph | 310 kts)

Max. Speed Diff

+12 mph
(+20 kph | 11 kts)

Ceiling

35,007 ft
(10,670 m | 7 mi)

Range

1,979 mi
(3,185 km | 5,899 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

2,435 ft/min
(742 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Beechcraft King Air 260 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

King Air 260 - Base Series Designation.

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Image from official Textron media kit.