HAWKER BEECHCRAFT 4000

The Hawker 4000, originally known as the Hawker Horizon, is a super-midsize business jet developed by Hawker Beechcraft (formerly Raytheon Aircraft Company).

Raytheon announced a new business jet in November 1996 as a larger aircraft than the existing Hawker 1000 that formed the top of Raytheon’s jet range. The design, then known as the Hawker Horizon, was intended to fly in 1999, with certification and initial customer deliveries planned for 2001.

The first prototype made its maiden flight on August 11, 2001, with the second prototype and third prototypes making their maiden flights on May 10 and July 31, 2002. It made its public debut in November 2002. As of March 2007 orders totalled more than 130 aircraft, with deliveries scheduled to begin in June 2008.

On November 21, 2006, the company announced that the 4000 had received its FAA type certification.

The Hawker 4000 received its certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in December 2009. In February 2010, Hawker Beechcraft delivered its first Hawker 4000 to a customer in mainland China.

The Hawker 4000 can be outfitted to seat ten people. The aircraft’s carbon composite construction gives it more interior space than many jets in its class. Interior standing room is an average of six feet. This composite construction also makes the aircraft lighter than a standard aluminum structure, allowing a maximum range of 3,445 nautical miles, and a service ceiling of 45,000 feet (14,000 m).

Aircraft of similar role, configuration and era are: Bombardier Challenger 300, Cessna Citation X, Dassault Falcon 2000, Embraer Legacy 600, Gulfstream G280.