Beech announced production of the Beechjet 400 in 1986 after acquiring the manufacturing rights from Mitsubishi.
Over nearly four decades and a rotating cast of corporate owners, the Beechjet 400A has remained a constant in the pre-owned market for light business jets.
The original Beechjet 400 twinjet was derived from the MU-300 Diamond, an aircraft that Japan’s Mitsubishi designed in the 1970s before selling the manufacturing rights to Beech Aircraft in 1985.
Wichita-based Beech, a Raytheon subsidiary after 1980, announced in 1986 production of the Beechjet 400, powered by 2,900-lb.-thrust Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5 engines. The factory-new list, average-equipped price of the 400 model that year was $3.475 million, according to the Aircraft Bluebook. Its current average retail sales value is $750,000.
Beech launched the Beechjet 400A in 1989 with JT15D-5 engines, Collins Pro Line 4 avionics, higher gross weight, improved performance and a larger cabin. Accommodating up to 11 passengers but typically seating seven, it flew to a maximum range of 1,885 nm (2,170 mi.) with maximum cruise speed of 465 kt. (535 mph).
The FAA certified the A-model in June 1990, and deliveries followed later that year. Its factory-new, average-equipped price in 1990 was $4.58 million.
Raytheon acquired the Hawker business jet line from British Aerospace in 1993 and merged it with Beech in 1994 to form Raytheon Aircraft Co. Renamed the Beechjet 400A/Hawker 400XP, the twinjet listed for $6.65 million equipped in 2003, the last year it was produced. The current average retail sales value of the 400A is $1.5 million, the Bluebook says.
More corporate takeovers followed. In March 2007, Raytheon sold its Raytheon Aircraft Co. subsidiary to Hawker Beechcraft Inc., a new company formed by Goldman Sachs and Onex Partners, for $3.3 billion.
Hawker Beechcraft entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2012 and emerged in February 2013 as Beechcraft Corp. Textron acquired Beechcraft Corp. in March 2014 to form Textron Aviation, bringing together its iconic Cessna business with the similarly renowned Beechcraft and Hawker lines.
Adding to the mix, Cleveland-based Nextant Aerospace introduced the Nextant 400XT, a remanufactured Beechjet 400A with Williams FJ44-3AP engines and Collins Pro Line 21 avionics, in 2011.
Textron Aviation in 2017 delivered its first Hawker 400XPR—a baseline Beechjet 400A/Hawker 400XP with Williams FJ44-4A-32 turbofans, new winglets and refurbished interior. Customers had the option of upgrading from Collins Pro Line 4 avionics to Pro Line 21 or a new Garmin G5000 integrated flight deck.
Flight Deck Modernization
The FAA awarded Garmin a supplemental type certificate in 2016 for its G5000 flight deck modernization of the Beechjet 400A/Hawker 400XP series. The upgrade features three high-resolution 12-in. flight displays forward with dual touchscreen display controllers on the pedestal that serve as the primary crew interface with the system.
Garmin announced in 2022 that it had made enhancements to the G5000 flight deck program for the twinjet, to incorporate FAA Data Comm messaging capability with air traffic control, ADS-B in traffic and weather information, TCAS II Change 7-compliant traffic alerting system, a digital radar altimeter and new cockpit connectivity options.
Aviation Week’s Fleet Discovery Database counted 18 Beechjet 400s and 443 Beechjet 400A/Hawker 400XP/XPRs in March, plus 10 jets stored, parked or in the possession of a third party. There were 62 Beechjet 400XT/XTis.
There were 20 prior-owned Beechet 400As, or 8% of the 400A fleet, for sale in March, with an absorption rate—the speed at which an aircraft is sold—of about 10 months, says Kevin O’Leary, president and CEO of Jet Advisors, based at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts.
The asking price for earlier Beechjet 400As is about $1.35 million, and those with the Garmin flight deck upgrade command $1.55 million, O’Leary says. Competing aircraft include the Cessna Citation Ultra and Learjet 31A.
“The Beechjet 400A continues to be a popular light jet because of its cabin and reliability,” O’Leary says. “The JT15D-5 engine shop visits are predictable and therefore make the Beechjet a value-priced option in the marketplace. The airframe is built strong, making upgrades like the avionics a reasonable option to extend the life of the aircraft.”
The jet’s cabin measures 4.8 ft. high, 4.9 ft. wide and 15.6 ft. in length, with a flat floor, an enclosed rear lavatory and a refreshment cabinet.
“The Beechjet 400A has an excellent combination of cabin and speed,” O’Leary observes. “The flat floor allows for passengers to swivel their seats to avoid other passengers’ legs without needing to straddle a dropped aisle.”
Beechjet 400A inspections are required at 200 hr., 400 hr., 1,200 hr. and 5,000 hr. Operators should expect direct operating costs of roughly $2,950 per hour, including $1,140 for fuel (190 gal. at $6/gal.), $1,000-$2,000 for parts, labor and reserve, and $600 for crew and supplies, O’Leary says.
BCA welcomes comment and insight from aircraft dealers and brokers for its monthly 20/Twenty pre-owned aircraft market feature. The focus aircraft for May is the Pilatus PC-24, and for June, the Learjet 60. To participate, contact [email protected].
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