PAF acquiring two King Air 350 ISR aircrafts

[skybolt]

 

[skybolt]

 

[skybolt]

 

[skybolt]

New Beechcraft King Air 350i Achieves FAA and EASA Certifications

Deliveries of the next generation aircraft have commenced
WICHITA, Kan. (Jan. 13, 2010) – Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) today announced it
has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) Type Certifications for the new Beechcraft King Air 350i turboprop. The King Air 350i
sets the standard in cabin luxury, entertainment and flexibility while delivering unmatched fuel
efficiency and the lowest operating cost per seat, making it one of the greenest aircraft available
to business travelers today. Deliveries of the aircraft commenced in December 2009.

With the new King Air 350i, our customers are benefiting from the same fuel efficiency and
mission flexibility expected from a King Air, while now also enjoying an ultra modern, state-ofthe-
art cabin rivaling that of global business jets costing millions more,“ said HBC executive vice
president Shawn Vick. “We are pleased to have the King Air 350i in operation in the U.S. and
Europe and look forward to additional certifications worldwide soon.”

The King Air 350i is the first business aircraft on the market equipped with the new Rockwell
Collins Venue™ cabin management system (CMS). The system supports multiple Personal
Entertainment Devices, including CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc™ and MP3 players, Apple iPods®,
Sony PlayStation® and Microsoft Xbox 360™ gaming consoles, laptop computers, digital and
video cameras, USB data-storage devices and future HDMI® devices.

The new CMS features a 15.3-inch swing-out monitor in the forward entertainment cabinet with
wide-screen display showing digital high-definition video and entertainment. High-definition
screens at each seat can be added. Nine programmable switch panels control the CD, DVD,
Blu-ray Disc and MP3 players, audio and video jukebox, 3-D Airshow moving map and flight
New Beechcraft King Air 350i Achieves FAA and EASA Certification information.

Cabinets are also equipped with standard USB charging ports and docking stations
for travelers’ wireless devices.
In addition to the CMS enhancements, the King Air’s trademark flexibility has been stretched
even further through the 350i’s new state-of-the-art Beechcraft FlexCabin capability, which
enables owners to reconfigure or remove aft club components to meet the specific needs of
each mission.

The sleek interior design of the King Air 350i spotlights the unparalleled cabin capabilities. The
updated interior includes all-new headliner, seat tailoring and tables, electrochromic window
darkeners, LED lighting, increased legroom and optional seat warmers. Additionally, the King
Air 350i includes an optional vanity in the aft lavatory area that incorporates a variety of toiletry
storage areas, running water, automatic LED lighting and dual mirrors, and is located next to the
King Air 350i’s in-flight accessible baggage area for total passenger privacy and convenience.

The King Air 350i is also now the quietest King Air. Cabin sound levels have been reduced to an
average of 78 dBA, equal to or better than competitive business jets.

Source: Hawker Beechcraft

 

[skybolt]

It’s good to be the King.
Meet the icon of business aviation.
PDF File
.
http://www.hawkerbeechcraft.com/beechcraft/king_air_350i/assets/documents/Beech_350i_Litho.pdf

 

[PAFAce]

Now you got me interested
Any reason for using the Virtex? from your description on the resume i am guessing the tasks could be accomplished using an ARM core as well..
Was there a governing processor on top of the FPGA?.. I am assuming that the Laser Control Unit wasn't a standalone component for the turret?

The Virtex FPGA was chosen simply because our Chief Engineer had experience with working with Virtex systems, and they agreed to give us the development kit for less. Could have used any, I personally was rooting for the Cyclone class FPGAs by Altera because that's what I've worked with. I had to learn VHDL, but that was easily done since I already had a lot of experience with Verilog.

The purpose of choosing an FPGA over an ARM core or a microcontroller was simple - speed. We wanted our system to be able to accomplish task much quicker, hence we went for a hardware solution rather than a software solution (which would be the case in microcontrollers as you need to program them usually in C or Assembly). FPGA is used both for the high-level governing (designed in-house by L-3 WESCAM) and the Laser Control (designed by my company).

See, when it comes to a system like this, the Mechanical parts govern how fast your electronics need to be, because they are by far the slowest part of the system. Generally speaking, mechanical systems are slow enough that a software-based solution is fine. However, in this particular system, the gimbal can move at considerable speeds and can lock onto a geographic point, hence we went for something that would give us quicker processing.

 

[SQ8]

The Virtex FPGA was chosen simply because our Chief Engineer had experience with working with Virtex systems, and they agreed to give us the development kit for less. Could have used any, I personally was rooting for the Cyclone class FPGAs by Altera because that's what I've worked with. I had to learn VHDL, but that was easily done since I already had a lot of experience with Verilog.

The purpose of choosing an FPGA over an ARM core or a microcontroller was simple - speed. We wanted our system to be able to accomplish task much quicker, hence we went for a hardware solution rather than a software solution (which would be the case in microcontrollers as you need to program them usually in C or Assembly). FPGA is used both for the high-level governing (designed in-house by L-3 WESCAM) and the Laser Control (designed by my company).

See, when it comes to a system like this, the Mechanical parts govern how fast your electronics need to be, because they are by far the slowest part of the system. Generally speaking, mechanical systems are slow enough that a software-based solution is fine. However, in this particular system, the gimbal can move at considerable speeds and can lock onto a geographic point, hence we went for something that would give us quicker processing.

The last paragraph summed it up best..
Whats the gimbal rate then??
Considering the imagery feed is not interrupted while it tracks..
There was a TVC module for a propulsion system I worked on .. using inputs from a six axis system...the mechanics forced us to move up from a MC, to a spartan..but finally a TI system was chosen...(I am a Ti buff.. same reason.. experience..know the software environment..and architecture)... Power consumption was surprisingly better with the TI chip..even though the Spartan was rated lower...
The TI was taking less time to do more.

 

[PAFAce]

The last paragraph summed it up best..
Whats the gimbal rate then??
Considering the imagery feed is not interrupted while it tracks..
There was a TVC module for a propulsion system I worked on .. using inputs from a six axis system...the mechanics forced us to move up from a MC, to a spartan..but finally a TI system was chosen...(I am a Ti buff.. same reason.. experience..know the software environment..and architecture)... Power consumption was surprisingly better with the TI chip..even though the Spartan was rated lower...
The TI was taking less time to do more.

I don't remember the gimbal rate anymore, but it was fast enough. There were calculations required to determine the position of the lasers, and we had to finish all those calculations before each gimbal signal was received. If that hadn't been the case, a microprocessor would have been more than fast enough.

Did you use a Texas Instrument FPGA? I didn't know they made any FPGAs. Or did you move over to a DSP chip? TI's really got the benchmark stuff for DSP, very tough to beat their performance. They were at my university a couple of days ago recruiting, and my friend won a free development kit for one of their leading platforms. I've been trying to get him to let me use it for fun, but I think he would rather sell it online. Too bad, I could've really made good use of it. I'm entering this international robotics competition known as the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition next year representing my university, and we're a bit cash strapped.

By the way, if you feel like reading more about my techy activities, go here and read-up on the robotics team I've founded: Autonomous Robotic Systems - University of Toronto. Generally I wouldn't have bothered giving out that website, but I think you would be interested.

 

[hassan1]

Beech 200 Super King Air, 927, Pakistan Army
Beech 200 Super King Air, 927, Pakistan Army

 

[fatman17]

Beech 200 Super King Air, 927, Pakistan Army
Beech 200 Super King Air, 927, Pakistan Army

different a/c!

 

[Super Falcon]

for pilot training isnr K8 is not good enough why buy piece of rubbish metal worth nothing useless

 

[SQ8]

I don't remember the gimbal rate anymore, but it was fast enough. There were calculations required to determine the position of the lasers, and we had to finish all those calculations before each gimbal signal was received. If that hadn't been the case, a microprocessor would have been more than fast enough.

Did you use a Texas Instrument FPGA? I didn't know they made any FPGAs. Or did you move over to a DSP chip? TI's really got the benchmark stuff for DSP, very tough to beat their performance. They were at my university a couple of days ago recruiting, and my friend won a free development kit for one of their leading platforms. I've been trying to get him to let me use it for fun, but I think he would rather sell it online. Too bad, I could've really made good use of it. I'm entering this international robotics competition known as the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition next year representing my university, and we're a bit cash strapped.

By the way, if you feel like reading more about my techy activities, go here and read-up on the robotics team I've founded: Autonomous Robotic Systems - University of Toronto. Generally I wouldn't have bothered giving out that website, but I think you would be interested.

Is that Kit still available.. ?? Im prepared to wire.. or hawala cash to you for that

TI has a deal with Xilinx for packaging the virtex with their SDR development kit..damn thing costs 12 grand..
Its a neat package.. they put a virtex 5 with a fixed point DSP..and an ARM core.serious bitpower there.

I ordered an OMAP kit for myself.. came with a nice LCD.. gonna use it for commercial purposes...Telenor pays well..

Anyway.. Ill check out the site..and I think we've hijacked this thread far enough..

 

[DANGER-ZONE]

Ok, I find something fishy regarding these two aircrafts on a forum.

Comments by a user on query regarding the birds arrival in UK.

Re: BEECH 350'S AT PIK
by honest man » Sun May 01, 2011 6:17 pm

Noticed on FAA site these King airs are cancelled off register to Pakistan
BEECH 350'S AT PIK • FighterControl • Military Aviation Forum

BEECH 350'S AT PIK • FighterControl • Military Aviation Forum