Textron Aviation has unveiled and launched the twin-engined Cessna 408
SkyCourier with a surprise order by FedEx for up to 100 aircraft
worth $550 million at list price, in a move that reinserts the company into a
market segment once occupied by the Beech 1900.
FedEx opened secret discussions
with the manufacturer seven months ago to co-design the SkyCourier as a
clean-sheet replacement for the Memphis-based carrier's turboprop fleet of
Cessna 208 Caravans and ATR 42s, says Textron Aviation's chief executive Scott
Ernest.
With an emphasis in the design on
simplicity and a clear bias for the freighter mission, Textron Aviation expects
to move rapidly through development, achieving first flight in 2019 and entry
into service with FedExa year later.
"Nobody is looking for 'fancy'
here. This is a workhorse," says Scott Donnelly, chief executive of
Textron, the parent of the division that owns the Cessna and Beechcraft brands.
Featuring a 16.7m (54.9ft)-long fuselage
and a 21.9m wingspan, the result is an aircraft with roughly the same length
and payload as the Beech 1900 but few of the comfort and performance qualities
that made the type ubiquitous as a regional feeder aircraft for passenger
airlines in the 1980s. Production of the Wichita-built 19-seater ceased in
2002.
The SkyCourier's fixed landing gear and
wing struts will limit the top speed to about 200kt, or about two-thirds the
maximum speed of the 1900. Textron Aviation plans to develop a 19-seat
passenger version, but the aircraft's slow speed and unpressurised cabin could
limit its appeal to the airline market. Instead, the passenger version of the
SkyCourier will be targeted at markets in developing countries, as well as
utility-transport and special-mission operators, Ernest says.
The aircraft appears optimised to the
perform the cargo feeder mission that FedEx desires. The roughly 178cm
(70in)-tall by 178cm-wide fuselage cross section is big enough to hold three
LD-3 containers or palletised cargoes, says Brad Thress, senior vice-president
of engineering for Textron Aviation. The SkyCourier also will feature a
221cm-wide cargo door hinged at the top to open outward, he adds.
The cargo door and handling system are
among the most advanced features of the clean-sheet design, Thress says.
In other respects, the SkyCourier uses
conventional technology. Textron Aviation has selected a Pratt & Whitney
Canada PT6-65 turboprop engine with an aluminium, four-bladed McCauley
propeller. The choice seems a step back for Textron Aviation after the 2015
launch of the single-engined Cessna Denali, which features the GE Aviation
Advanced Turboprop (ATP) and a composite, five-bladed McCauley propeller.
But the choice reflects Textron
Aviation's emphasis on simplifying and optimising the SkyCourier for the role
of its namesake. The aircraft also will use a Garmin G1000 avionics system and
a conventional aluminium structure, Thress says.
"This was all about utility and
what it will cost to operate it," Donnelly says.
After the aircraft's scheduled debut in
2020, FedEx plans to take delivery of a new aircraft on a roughly
monthly basis over the next four years, says Bill
West, FedEx vice-president of supplemental air operations.
If FedEx picks up the option to order a second batch of 50
SkyCouriers, the carrier would expect to take delivery at a similar pace, he
adds.
The deliveries will
help FedEx replace a fleet of nearly 290 contracted turboprops. Less
than three weeks ago, ATR launched the ATR 72-600 Freighter with a launch order
of up to 50 aircraft from FedEx, which will replace the freight airline's
fleet of older ATR 72s. FedEx also operates a fleet of more than 200
Cessna Caravans and ATR 42 turboprops, which will be replaced by the new
SkyCourier.
"We're very excited about the new
platform," West says.
(Evangle Luo of TTFLY shared with you)
没有评论:
发表评论