Beechcraft King Air 260

Twin-Engine Utility Aircraft

United States | 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; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

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.

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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.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Beechcraft King Air 260 Twin-Engine Utility Aircraft.

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

370 mph
595 kph | 321 kts
Max Speed

35,007 ft
10,670 m | 7 miles
Service Ceiling

1,979 miles
3,185 km | 1,720 nm
Operational Range

2,435 ft/min
742 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Beechcraft King Air 260 Twin-Engine Utility Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

44.0 ft
13.40 m
O/A Length

57.9 ft
(17.65 m)
O/A Width

14.8 ft
(4.50 m)
O/A Height

8,830 lb
(4,005 kg)
Empty Weight

12,500 lb
(5,670 kg)
MTOW

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Beechcraft King Air 260 family line.

King Air 260 - Base Series Designation.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Beechcraft King Air 260. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 10 Units
Contractor(s): Beechcraft / Textron - USA

[ United States ]

1 / 1

Image from official Textron media kit.

Going Further...
The Beechcraft King Air 260 Twin-Engine Utility Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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