Textron Aviation announced on Wednesday that it has delivered a new Beechcraft King Air 350CER to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Marine & Aviation Operations (OMAO). According to Textron, the aircraft was modified with dual-sensor ports to allow data collection from multiple onboard sensors at once. NOAA’s first 350CER, which was delivered in May 2009, has been used for missions including coastal mapping, aerial survey and emergency response.
“We are honored the King Air 350CER aircraft continues to be the aircraft of choice to fill a variety of critical mission needs for NOAA,” said Bob Gibbs, Textron Aviation vice president of special mission sales. “The aircraft’s custom sensor port modification, combined with its extended range performance features, makes it a powerful and reliable platform to carry out the agency’s unique missions during critical times.”
Powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A engines, the Beechcraft King Air 350CER offers a range of 2,692 NM, top cruise speed of 303 knots and useful load of 7,145 pounds. As previously reported by AVweb, NOAA has also ordered a Gulfstream G550 for missions such as hurricane and tropical storm forecasts and atmospheric research. Delivery of the G550 is scheduled for 2022.
I don’t know if this is a file pic or the very airplane delivered to NOAA-Office of Marine & Aviation Operations, but for operations over water it seems to have a low-viz paint scheme without it being a low-viz paint scheme.