Press Release

Issued by Beechcraft Textron Aviation.

March 27, 2012

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) today announced its Special Mission King Air 350ER demonstrator aircraft has earned high marks during its special mission tour, which began in Bahrain in January and will continue into early April when it returns from the International Air and Space Fair (FIDAE) air show in South America.

When the tour concludes, the demonstrator will have traveled more than 40,000 miles and visited 14 countries on five continents – all on schedule and without any unscheduled maintenance required.

"This reliability is exactly why militaries and individuals around the world buy King Airs," said Jay Gibson, vice president, Special Missions. "Unscheduled maintenance is rare, while scheduled maintenance is supported by more than 100 factory owned or authorized service centers across the globe. The King Air 350ER, along with our entire lineup of products, represents our commitment to the worldwide special mission market, and this tour has demonstrated that its capabilities are second-to-none."

The special mission tour began on Jan. 12 when the aircraft departed Hawker Beechcraft Services in Chester, England, for the Bahrain Air Show. When the tour concludes on April 5 the aircraft will have been showcased at a variety of air shows – including the Singapore Air Show, Aeromed Africa Air Ambulance Show and FIDAE – and visited 14 countries: England, Bahrain, the UAE, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa, Peru, Chile and the United States.

Following a brief return to the United States, the Special Mission King Air 350ER demonstrator will begin a new tour of air ambulance operators in Eastern Canada, followed by a visit to Germany for the Aero Friedrichshafen air show. The aircraft will then conduct demonstration flights in Saudi Arabia before traveling to Oxford, England, for the Waypoint Air Ambulance show, followed by an appearance at the Europe Business Aircraft Convention and Expo (EBACE) in Switzerland.

Additional visits to military and special mission operators around the world will continue throughout the summer.