The King Air 350i aircraft will enter service as a liaison/reconnaissance (LR-2) aircraft. Credit: Textron Aviation.

Textron Aviation has delivered a Beechcraft King Air 350i aircraft equipped with multiple special mission modifications to Japcon.

The aircraft received a removable, belly mounted Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) installation, forward executive cabin, as well as communications equipment and racks.

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The King Air 350i aircraft will undergo further modifications in Japan, including a medical configuration.

The aircraft will be owned and operated by the Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF).

It will enter service as a liaison/reconnaissance (LR-2) aircraft, which is the JGSDF’s only fleet of fixed-wing aircraft.

Textron Aviation Special Mission Sales vice-president Bob Gibbs said: “We are honoured to expand our relationship with the JGSDF.

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“This aircraft will join a fleet of seven other LR-2 King Air 350 turboprops, which has provided reliable service for more than 20 years.”

The LR-2 provides transportation service between airfields across Japan.

In addition to a reconnaissance camera, the new LR-2 aircraft features devices for video transmission and infrared (IR) night-vision.

These video transmission features allow the aircraft to enhance its capacity in gathering visual information.

Gibbs added: “The LR-2 fleet has been serving an enduring mission by providing transport, reconnaissance, and medical evacuation operations in Japan.

“When the JGSDF needed a modern aircraft with low direct operating costs, it again chose the Beechcraft King Air 350 platform.”

The LR-2 aircraft will be operated by the JGSDF Communication and Reconnaissance Squadron Renraku Teisatsu Hikotai, based at Kisarazu Airfield in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture.