Summary
- The Hawker 800XP is fuel-efficient, versatile, and has good performance, ideal for business and leisure purposes.
- The aircraft was manufactured by British Aerospace, Raytheon, and Hawker Beechcraft, with a long production history.
- The Hawker 800XP offers comfort, range and advanced avionics systems and caters for up to eight or nine passengers.
The Hawker 800XP is a popular mid-size private jet used in business aviation. It is known for its popularity with owners, charter operators and with clients wishing to charter, but what makes it so successful and why? Let’s take a look in more detail.
Top in its class?
The Hawker 800XP is one of the most successful private jets ever made and is a popular choice to charter due to the combination of size (it can seat eight passengers), comfort, and five-hour range. It is very adaptable for business or leisure travel and for domestic or international travel.
It is in a similar class to the Citation Sovereign, Gulfstream 100 and Learjet 60. The Hawker 800XP is very fuel efficient, has good climb and cruise performance as well as take-off distance, and can use short runways.
Photo: EvrenKalinbacak | Shutterstock
Manufacturer history
The Hawker 800XP was developed from the British Aerospace 125 and built by Hawker Beechcraft. It took its first flight on June 26, 1983. Between 1983 and the end of production in 2013, 650 of the aircraft and its variations had been built.
The aircraft was produced by a number of manufacturers throughout its lifetime:
- British Aerospace (BAe) between 1983 and 1994.
- Raytheon between 1994 and 2007.
- Hawker Beechcraft between 2007 and 2013.
In 1994, Raytheon acquired BAe Corporate Jets and had previously bought Beech Aircraft Corporation and became Raytheon Aircraft. In 2007, Raytheon divested into the Hawker Beechcraft Corporation.
In 2013, The Hawker Beechcraft Corporation became bankrupt and discontinued its business jet range, although the designs are still supported for parts.
Photo BlueBarronPhoto | Shutterstock
A look back in time
In 1981, it was decided that the BAe 125-700 series needed some improvements. The new aircraft BAe 125-800 series, had a redesigned cockpit windshield and glass cockpit.
The engines were upgraded to the Garrett TFE731-5R-1H, which produced 4,300 pounds of thrust. They also worked on the outer wing, reducing drag and improving aerodynamic performance.
In 1994, Raytheon acquired BAe Corporate Jets and the BAe 125-800 series. It had previously bought Beech Aircraft Corporation and became Raytheon Aircraft.
In 2007, Raytheon divested into the Hawker Beechcraft Corporation. The BAe 125-800 was renamed the Hawker 800.
Variants of the aircraft
Hawker 800
The original Hawker 800 had its fuselage, wings, and control surfaces manufactured and assembled in the UK by the Hawker Beechcraft Corporation and Airbus UK, who had inherited BAE systems that had the capacity to manufacture the aircraft.
The aircraft was partially fitted before being shipped to the main Hawker Beechcraft facility in Wichita, Kansas, US. This is where the aircraft was finally assembled, tested, and fully fitted out. The Hawker 800 production ended in 1995 when the Hawker 800XP was introduced. It was the third generation of the original 800 series.
Hawker 800XP/XPi
The Hawker 800XP has a range of around 2,580 nautical miles, allowing for up to five hours flight time. It has a maximum cruise speed of 456 knots.
The aircraft has Honeywell TFE731-5BR turbofan engines that produce 4,300 pounds of thrust. It has the Honeywell SPZ-8000 avionics suite with GPS, a Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS,) and dual autopilots.
The Hawker 800XP can carry eight or nine passengers depending on the configuration. The seating was either six single club seats or five seats with a three-seater divan.
The lavatory is enclosed but has a seatbelt, so it can also be used as an extra seat. There is also a small refreshment center. The Hawker 800XPi was fitted with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite. Production of the aircraft ceased in 2005, with over 400 XP and XPi being delivered.
Photo: Karolis Kavolelis | Shutterstock
Aircraft Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 2 + jump seat
- Capacity: 8 / 2,000 lb (907 kg) maximum payload
- Length: 51 ft 2 in (15.60 m)
- Wingspan: 51 ft 4.5 in (15.659 m)
- Height: 17 ft 7 in (5.36 m)
- Wing area: 374 sq ft (34.7 m2)
- Empty weight: 15,600 lb (7,076 kg) basic
- Operating weight empty: 16,000 lb (7,257 kg)
- Maximum ramp weight: 27,520 lb (12,483 kg)
- Maximum zero-fuel weight: 18,000 lb (8,165 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 27,400 lb (12,428 kg)
- Maximum landing weight: 23,350 lb (10,591 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 1,248 imp gal (1,499 US gal; 5,674 L) total
- Powerplant: 2 × Honeywell TFE731-5BR turbofan engines, 4,300 lbf (19 kN) thrust each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 456 kn (525 mph, 845 km/h) max level speed and max cruising speed at 29,000 ft (8,839 m) / M0.87
- Cruise speed: 400 kn (460 mph, 740 km/h) economical cruise at 39,000–43,000 ft (11,887–13,106 m)
- Stall speed: 92 kn (106 mph, 170 km/h) in landing configuration at typical landing weight
- Range: 2,580 nmi (2,970 mi, 4,780 km) with max payload
- Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 3,100 ft/min (16 m/s)
- Wing loading: 73.26 lb/sq ft (357.7 kg/m2)
- Take-off balanced field length: 5,620 ft (1,713 m) at MTOW
- Landing distance from 50 ft (15 m): 4,500 ft (1,372 m) at typical landing weight and 6 pax
Avionics
- Standard Honeywell SPZ-800
- Dual RCZ-850 integrated comms
- Motorola N1335BSelcal
- Primus 870 weather radar
Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock
Further variations
The Hawker 850XP was certified in March 2006 and was the last version of the Hawker 800 series. It was identical to the Hawker 800XP apart from added winglets that increased the aircraft’s range by 100 nautical miles.
The interior was redesigned, and the avionics were upgraded. The Hawker 750 was introduced but had a reduced range, and only 48 were built. The Hawker 900XP was also added and had new Honeywell TFE731-50BR engines and an increased range. It sold new for $16.7 million.
Price and conclusion
The current price range for pre-owned Hawkers is:
- The Hawker 800 (1985 model) can be bought for just over $1 million.
- The Hawker 800XP (1995 model) can be bought for $2.1 million, but the average is $2.5 million.
- The Hawker 900XP (2012 model) can be bought for $6 million.
The Hawker 800XP was built between 1995 and 2005 and a total of 475 aircraft were built. They sold new between $10 and $13.5 million. The aircraft became popular because of its spacious interior and its overall performance, making it one of the most sought after private jets on the market.