Textron Aviation has been awarded a contract by Fargo, North Dakota-based AvMet International for one Beechcraft King Air 360CHW (cargo door, heavy weight) and four Beechcraft King Air 260 aircraft. The King Air fleet will support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology programme for cloud seeding.

“We are honoured AvMet has chosen a fleet of Beechcraft King Air aircraft to support the cloud seeding programme,” says Textron vice president, special mission sales Bob Gibbs. “The King Air continues to be selected for a wide range of special mission roles around the world due to its capabilities and reliability.”

AvMet and its partners Weather Modification International (WMI) and Fargo Jet Center (FJC) will work collaboratively to equip the four King Air 260 aircraft with a cloud water inertial probe, data logger with aircraft tracking, and cloud seeding equipment. The King Air 360CHW will be rigged with cloud seeding equipment, a research laboratory and an instrument package for studying cloud physics and aerosols.

The aircraft will be modified at WMI’s headquarters in Fargo with sister company FJC. FJC’s Part 145 repair station, an authorised service facility for the family of Beechcraft King Air aircraft, teamed with WMI to certify the FAA-approved supplemental type certificate modifications for cloud seeding and atmospheric research equipment.