Private Jet Review
Hawker 400XP
The Hawker 400XP has been a competitive option for business jet clients since its debut in the light private jet market. It is ideal for short trips and strikes the perfect balance between comfort, performance, and operating costs.
Private Jet clients that have flown in the Hawker 400XP consistently comment on the spaciousness of its cabin. The cabin is, in fact, no larger in square footage than any previous models private jets in the Hawker series, only the layout has changed. As with everything else in this jet, the attention to detail in its design is apparent. The cabin has a flat floor and an oval shape, maximizing the amount of usable space. Its internal and external baggage space totals seventy three cubic feet, or the equivalent of about seven suitcases and three or four golf bags. It holds seven passengers comfortably in a seating arrangement that has been redesigned since the previous model. Although many of the exact details of its design slip by clients unnoticed, no one can avoid enjoying the experience of flying in the truly classy cabin of the Hawker 400XP.
The true strengths of this jet, however, come out when it’s in the air. It boasts a cruise speed of over four hundred knots and uses the fuel-efficient Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5 turbofan engines. Pilots that have flown the Hawker 400XP liked the Collins Pro Line 4 avionics, saying that its layout was logical and well-designed. They said that the jet is extremely stable throughout its flight envelope and is generally a very reliable private jet.
The Hawker 400XP is the product of years of revision by Raytheon’s Beechjet Aircraft Corporation. They originally purchased the production rights for the jet from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan. Mitsubishi had designed it to be the best private jet available in the charter business jet industry, and appropriately called it the Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond. Beechcraft modified the design and began to manufacture it in their aircraft facility in Kansas. They called it the Hawker 400.
For five years after the Hawker 400’s release, Beechcraft continued to improve its design and released the Hawker 400A. The 400A model saw a redesign of the fuel system, a longer flight range, and a higher take off weight. From there the design underwent even more revisions, culminating in the Hawker 400XP, a private jet that Beechcraft calls its “best-selling light jet.”
