Raytheon plans to conduct a pseudo-military style "operational test and evaluation" (OT&E) pre-service entry phase for the Hawker Horizon super mid-size business jet in the run-up to delivering it to the first operators in late 2004.
Having been hit by delays already, the Horizon team is now focusing on service readiness rather than certification, which it expects to achieve by the start of the third quarter in 2004. The company planned to certificate the aircraft in 2001 but slipped the target date to 2003 and late 2004. Raytheon product development and engineering vice president David Riemer says: "The OT&E will work out all the kinks, not only in the aircraft but also in our supplier system. If there are no improvements needed we will deliver the first two aircraft in November and December 2004."
The company is near the halfway mark in the test effort and has amassed over 670h on the three test aircraft based at Wichita. The test fleet includes RC-1, which has performed the bulk of the flying qualities and basic aerodynamic test work; RC-2, the lead systems certification airframe, and RC-3, primarily dedicated to avionics testing.
Source: Flight International