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USAF orders six more King Air 350ER special mission aircraft

By Gareth Jennings

10/21/2009

The US Air Force (USAF) has ordered a further six Hawker Beechcraft MC-12W King Air 350ER special mission aircraft in support of Project Liberty, the company announced on 19 October.

The contract, which is valued at USD45 million, is a follow-on order from an original contract for 23 MC-12 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft that was signed in November 2008. All of these aircraft have now been delivered to the USAF. Deliveries of the additional six are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

In April 2008 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates established the ISR Task Force to better support ground forces in the US Central Command area of responsibility. Gates gave the go-ahead to procure a total of 37 MC-12 aircraft.

In June, the MC-12 flew its first combat mission with the 362nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron out of Joint Base Balad in central Iraq. During this it undertook a four-hour intelligence-gathering mission in support of US and Iraqi forces.

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The first MC-12 Liberty aircraft in theatre lands back at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, after its first combat sortie
The first MC-12 Liberty aircraft in theatre lands back at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, after its first combat sortie(US Air Force)

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