Flight test activity on Raytheon’s Hawker Horizon is rapidly accelerating. In April, RC-3 performed a 7.6 hour duration flight that validated performance predictions, evaluated extended system operation and checked navigation, communication and autopilot equipment. The flight, which started and concluded at Beech Field in Wichita, was the longest test flight in Beechcraft and Hawker history.

Several days later, all three aircraft conducted a total of seven flights in one day. RC-4, the fourth test flight aircraft, recently underwent its first interior fitting, which revealed a precise fit inside the composite fuselage.

Raytheon ceo Jim Schuster confirmed: “We are on track for our 2004 deliveries, which is the key goal for the programme.”