New Multi-Mission Beechcraft King Air Demonstrator Unveiled at Paris Air Show

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 16, 2025--

Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced its new multi-mission Beechcraft King Air demonstration aircraft will be making its show and European debut at the 2025 Paris Air Show. The aircraft is equipped to showcase a wide range of missions available on the versatile and reliable Beechcraft King Air platform, and will be on static display Monday, June 16, through Thursday, June 19, at the Textron Pavilion A2.

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“The King Air’s acquisition and operation cost, combined with excellent speed, range and payload capacity make it an excellent value for a wide range of special missions,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, Special Missions Sales. “The best-selling turboprop serves as an ideal platform for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, utility transport, training and more. Over the last few years, we have seen solid European demand of our Cargo Door King Air 360C for essential air ambulance services.”

Endless Special Missions Possibilities on Display

When government, military and commercial customers want airborne solutions for critical missions, they turn to Textron Aviation. The Beechcraft King Air on display is fitted with extended range (ER) fuel tanks, a factory-installed extended utility nose capable of housing a variety of sensors up to a 20-inch EO/IR sensor and a lift kit to retract, factory-installed wing hardpoint provisions and a cargo door that supports air ambulance and freight operations to enhance mission flexibility.

Powered by PT6A-67A engines with dual oil coolers, the aircraft offers hot/high airfield performance as well as impressive climb performance and cruising speeds.

Interior features include a mission rack with displays and a mission computer, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) VIP seating, AvFab and LifePort mission seats and a LifePort medevac stretcher. The cockpit is compatible with Night Vision Imaging Systems (NVIS).

King Air Leadership

More than 7,800 Beechcraft King Air turboprops have been delivered to customers since 1964, making it the best-selling business turboprop family in the world. The fleet has surpassed 66 million flight hours in its 60 years, serving roles in all branches of the U.S. military and flying both commercial and special missions.

Textron Aviation returns to the Paris Air Show as the industry leader with more than 1,700 Cessna and Beechcraft turbine aircraft in Europe and more than 255,000 aircraft delivered worldwide. In France, nearly 200 Cessna and Beechcraft turbine aircraft support a wide variety of missions for commercial, government and military customers.

About Textron Aviation

We inspire the journey of flight. For more than 95 years, Textron Aviation has empowered our collective talent across the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands to design and deliver the best aviation experience for our customers. With a range that includes everything from business jets, turboprops, and high-performance pistons, to special missions, military trainer and defense products, Textron Aviation has the most versatile and comprehensive aviation product portfolio in the world and a workforce that has produced more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide. Customers in more than 170 countries rely on our legendary performance, reliability and versatility, along with our trusted global customer service network, for affordable, productive and flexible flight.

For more information, visit www.txtav.com|specialmissions.txtav.com|defense.txtav.com|scorpion.txtav.com.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, and Textron Systems.

For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to our ability to keep pace with our competitors in the introduction of new products and upgrades with features and technologies desired by our customers; volatility in the global economy or changes in worldwide political or macroeconomic conditions that adversely impact demand for our products; and risks related to our international business, including establishing and maintaining facilities in locations around the world and relying on joint venture partners, subcontractors, suppliers, representatives, consultants and other business partners in connection with international business, including in emerging market countries.

From Wichita, Kansas to Paris, France: Beechcraft King Air demonstrator makes international debut

BRIDGEWATER, NJ (AP) — NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is set to meet President Donald Trump this week on the heels of the U.S. leader announcing plans to sell NATO allies weaponry that it can then pass on to Ukraine.

NATO announced on Sunday that Rutte will be in Washington on Monday and Tuesday and would hold talks with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as well as members of Congress. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the visit.

A top ally of Trump, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said Sunday that the conflict is nearing an inflection point as Trump shows growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back Russia. It's a cause that Trump, who during his campaign made quickly ending the war a top priority, had previously dismissed as being a waste of U.S. taxpayer money.

“In the coming days, you’ll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves,” Graham said on CBS' “Face the Nation. He added, ”One of the biggest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there’s going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table."

The Rutte visit comes as Trump last week teased that he would make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday and as Ukraine struggles to repel massive and complex air assaults launched by Russian forces.

Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who appeared with South Carolina lawmaker on CBS, said there is also growing consensus on Capitol Hill and among European officials about tapping some of the $300 billion in Russian assets frozen by Group of Seven countries early in the war to help Ukraine.

“It's time to do it,” Blumenthal said.

Rubio said Friday that some of the U.S.-made weapons that Ukraine is seeking are deployed with NATO allies in Europe. Those weapons could be transferred to Ukraine, with European countries buying replacements from the U.S., he said.

“It’s a lot faster to move something, for example, from Germany to Ukraine than it is to order it from a (U.S.) factory and get it there,” Rubio told reporters last week during visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu in an interview published Sunday in La Tribune Dimanche said that European officials have been making the case to the Trump administration to bolster air defense capabilities with any coming packages.

He added that France is in a “capacity hole” and will have to wait until next year before being able to provide Ukraine new ground-air missiles.

Trump is also facing calls from Republicans and Democrats as well as European allies to support legislation in the Senate that aims to cripple Russia’s oil industry and hit Moscow with U.S. sanctions for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The legislation, in part, calls for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. It would have an enormous impact on the economies of Brazil, China and India, which account for the vast majority of Russia’s energy trade.

“The big offender here is China, India and Brazil,” Graham said. “My goal is to end this war. And the only way you are going to end this war is to get people who prop up Putin— make them choose between the American economy and helping Putin.”

That revenue is critical in helping keep the Russian war machine humming as the U.S. and Europe have imposed significant import and export bans on a wide range of goods to and from Russia, affecting sectors like finance, energy, transport, technology, and defense.

Trump for months had threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia’s oil industry.

But the Republican leader has become increasingly exasperated with Putin in recent days and has laid into the Russian leader for prolonging the war.

“We get a lot of bull---- thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said last week in an exchange with reporters. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

Congress has been prepared to act on the legislation, sponsored by Graham and Blumenthal, for some time.

The bill has overwhelming support in the Senate, but Republican leadership has been waiting for Trump to give the green light before moving ahead with it.

The White House had expressed some reservations about the legislation. Trump made clear he wants full authority over the waiver process to lift the sanctions, tariffs or other penalties, without having to cede control to Congress.

Under the initial bill, the president “may terminate” the penalties under certain circumstances, but immediately reimpose them if the violations resume. Graham has said the president would be allowed to waive the sanctions, for 180 days, and could also renew a waiver.

Some Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns about the waivers. But Blumenthal downplayed the differences and said the legislation would give Trump a “sledgehammer” to utilize on Putin.

“The waiver language we will have in this bill is very much like the provisions have existed in past similar measures,” Blumenthal said. He added: “What I think is most important right now is our unity."

Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed reporting.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attends a news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)