Beechcraft Answers Need for Light ISR Capabilities with the Baron G58

Company delivers first Baron G58 with ISR package

Beechcraft Corporation today announced during the Paris Air Show that it is offering the Baron G58 with Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The company recently delivered the first Baron G58 with an ISR package to the Fuerzas Unidas de Rápida Acción (FURA), an agency within the Puerto Rico Police Department that uses the aircraft for law enforcement surveillance missions within the region.

Beechcraft has long served the ISR markets with its range of King Air turboprops. The company first introduced its version of its twin-engine piston Baron G58 aircraft with ISR capabilities last year at the Farnborough International Airshow, and plans to launch a company demonstrator aircraft in the fourth quarter of this year.

“Since we first introduced the Baron G58 ISR concept last year, we have seen interest from countries around the world needing a light aircraft solution that offers a balance of high dash speeds, long endurance, state-of-the-art glass cockpit avionics, exceptional flying and handling qualities, a rugged airframe and low operating costs,” said Dan Keady, Beechcraft senior vice president, Special Missions. “The Baron is unique in that it can provide all of these features for special mission operators, and we are pleased to deliver the first aircraft to the FURA.”

The Baron G58 ISR package includes a FLIR 230-HD electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera system, an operator’s console which houses the mapping/mission management computer, a recorder and a multi-band communications radio system and data link for special mission operators.

The 230-HD EO/IR camera has the ability to virtually see both day and night, over land and water, in both good and poor weather. The mission mapping system provides the camera operator with a visual representation of the target location. The multi-band communications radio gives the flight crew and the sensor operator the ability to communicate directly with the military, police vehicles, coast guard and other maritime vessels and the recorder provides court admissible evidence for prosecution.

All of the surveillance mission equipment for the Beechcraft Baron G58 ISR is commercially available with short lead-times and high reliability. While the physical integration of the mission sensors to the airframe is highly specialized, the mission package integration is done without customized software, making it easy to troubleshoot and maintain in the field. More than 6,700 Barons have been produced to date and Beechcraft maintains a large inventory of spares around the world.

Standard features of the Baron G58 ISR include:

Rugged airframe designed for high utilization

Twin-engine redundancy, safety and proven reliability

Garmin 1000 integrated avionics suite and all-weather capability

An automatic climate control system

Redesigned cockpit and cabin seats

Large doors for quick installation/removal of mission equipment

Large nose baggage space (up to 300 lbs.)

Digital 4-color, vertical profile weather radar

Short field capability