In November 1996, Waltham, Massachusetts-headquartered Raytheon Aircraft Company announced that it wanted to build a new business jet based on its existing nine-seat Hawker 1000. Nearly five years later, on August 11, 2001, the first Hawker 4000 super-midsize business jet made its maiden flight.
The new larger plane was intended to fly by 1999, with certification and sales planned for 2001. Delays and problems with the development delayed the prototype's maiden flight by two years. A second and third prototype was also built, making their first flights on May 10 and July 31, 2002.
NetJets placed an order for 50 planes
In November 2002, the Hawker 4000 was revealed to the public at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The aircraft was a hit, and by March 2007, Hawker Beechcraft (which took over the production after Raython tasked it with building Hawker and Beechcraft jets in 2006), had orders for 130 planes due to begin being delivered by June 2008. Berkshire Hathaway private jet fractional ownership company NetJets signed an order for 50 new Hawker 4000s on December 2, 2005, marking the largest ever order for aircraft in Raytheon Aircraft history.
After undergoing function and reliability tests at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the company announced that the Hawker 4000 had been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on November 21, 2006.
The Hawker 4000 was more spacious than its rivals
Because of the Hawker 4000s carbon composite structure, the aircraft offers more interior space than many of its rivals and can comfortably accommodate ten passengers. The carbon composite construction also makes the plane lighter than standard metal constructed aircraft, giving the Hawker 4000 a range of 3,445 nautical miles with an altitude ceiling of 45,000 feet.
In May 2008, the Hawker Beechcraft Corporation announced they had received an order for ten new jets worth over $330 million from boutique private jet charter company BJETS.
Following the directive from BJETS, Hawker Beechcraft delivered its first Hawker 4000 to a private buyer named Jack P. DeBoer during a special ceremony at the company's Customer Delivery Center in Wichita, Kansas. At the time of its delivery, the Hawker 4000 was the world's only private business jet to use carbon composites in its construction.
In December 2009, Hawker Beechcraft received certification for the Hawker 4000 from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and delivered its first business jet to a customer in mainland China.
In May 2013, Hawker Beechcraft decided that it wanted to sell its private jet division and concentrate on building propeller-driven aircraft. At the time, it said it would leave the future of the Hawker 4000 up to the new buyer.
Specifications and general characteristics
- Crew: 2 pilots
- Capacity: Between 8 and 14 passengers
- Length: 69 feet 2 inches
- Wingspan: 61 feet 9 inches
- Height: 19 feet 7 inches
- Empty weight: 22,275 pounds
- Max takeoff weight: 39,500 pounds
- Cabin length: 25 feet
- Cabin width: 6 feet 6 inches
- Cabin Height: 6 feet
- Max Landing Weight: 33,500 pounds
- Payload with full fuel: 2625 pounds
- Fuel capacity: 14,600 pounds
- Power plant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308A turbofan, 6,900 lbf (31 kN) thrust each
Performance
- Cruise speed: 540 mph
- Range: 3,845 miles
- Service ceiling: 45,000 feet
- Takeoff distance: 4,509 feet
- Landing distance: 2,916 feet
Famous owners
Following the acquisition of Hawker Beechcraft by Textron Aviation in 2013, production of the Hawker 4000 stopped. During its 12 years of production, just 73 Hawker 4000 were built. With that said some famous examples of the jet still flying today exist.
Spain’s most famous golfer, Sergio Garcia, owns a Hawker 4000, registered N901SG, and often jokes that the aircraft is large enough for 15 to 20-foot putts down the aisle. Garcia’s Hawker 4000 is based in either Spain or Switzerland, and the jet’s range allows Garcia to get anywhere from the United States to his home in Spain with one stop.
The Nigerian Air Force owns a Hawker 4000, registered 5N-FGX. The aircraft is part of the Nigerian Presidential Air Fleet and is used to ferry top government officials and VIPs. It is based at the Presidential Air Fleet’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (ABV) hangar.
Governments and celebrities are not the only people to own the Hawker 4000, as the famous Setai Hotel owns multiple Hawker 4000s as part of their aviation business, which are registered N700JE, N360JE, N230JE, and N190JE. These jets have a 7+ hour range and are equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi internet making them an ideal aircraft for any mission.
While the Hawker 4000 stands in a class of its own as it was built from scratch in Wichita, Kansas is classified as a super-midsize jet. Like other jets in its class, such as Cessna Citation Longitude and the Bombardier Challenger 350, the Hawker 4000 can fly nonstop between San Francisco and Boston and boasts a range of over 3,770 miles. With that said, the Hawker 4000 has the most capacity as it can seat 10 passengers, while Citation Longitude can seat 8, and the Challenger 350 can seat 9.