LC-90 / TC-90 / UC-90 - Beech King Air

The Beech King Air is the world's most popular turboprop aircraft. The TC-90 is based on the commercial, twin-turboprop engine, straight wing C90 utility aircraft made by the American company Beechcraft. The C90 belongs to the Model 90 Series of aircraft with an official name of King Air. It first flew in 1963, and since then over 3,000 of it and its derivatives has been produced and served with various Air Forces and Airlines all over the world. The TC-90 is the designation given to the Training Aircraft used by the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSF) with unique locally made avionics.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has operated a total of 40 C90 and C90A King Airs, with deliveries beginning in 1973. These have been given various designations by the JMSDF and consist of 34 TC-90 trainers, five LC-90 transports and a single UC-90 which is configured for photographic aerial survey. The TC-90s and the UC-90 comprise the 202 Kyoiku Kokutai (Training Squadron) based at Tokushima, while the LC-90s are attached to various Lockheed P-3 Kokutai (Squadrons) and a NAMC YS-11 Kokutai[11] as liaison aircraft. In late 2005 the JMSDF marked 500,000 accident-free flying hours of the TC-90 trainer fleet. This US business twin-engine general-purpose machine ws manufactured by Beechcraft, Inc. (now Raytheon Beech Co., Ltd.). This best-selling twin-engine general-purpose machine military is a development of the King Air series that produced.

The King Air 90 series has a pressurized cabin, which was developed in 1964's best-selling general-purpose machine. The US Army and Air Force are with the eyes as for the communication contact from the very beginning that this plane has been developed 1965 introduced immediately King Air 65-A90 in the year it gave it the designation U-21. The basic mission is communication intercept, but monitoring machines and special equipment was produced and used in the Vietnam war. Also currently be used was th C-12 Super-King 200 which was introduced with an increased fuel load has T-shaped tail in 1972.

In addition to the US military has commissioned a number of countries as a military, Maritime Self-Defense Force in Japan is using the King air model C90, such as the liaison between the flight training and the base of the fixed-wing aircraft pilot.

Japan agreed to lease military aircraft to the Philippines in another sign of deepening security ties between the two countries to counter China’s increasing regional influence. The lease agreement was made on 02 May 2016 during telephone talks between Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani and his Philippine counterpart Voltaire Gazmin. Under the accord, Tokyo will lease at least three and up to five Beechcraft TC-90 King Air training airplanes, and help Manila train pilots and aircraft mechanics. The planes can be used as surveillance aircraft. It will be Japan’s first lease of its Self-Defence Forces’ aircraft to another country after it recently lifted a self-imposed ban on weapons exports. The TC-90 is capable of flying some 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles), roughly double the flight range of the Philippine navy’s aircraft.

Philippine Defence Minister Voltaire pushed for a handover of the more advanced P-3C aircraft, developed by Lockheed Martin. Tokyo will retire its P-3Cs over the next three years. While those aircraft would be capable of monitoring submarine activity, the Japanese government expressed hesitancy. P-3Cs require more complex ground support, and use more fuel than the efficient TC-90s. While the TC-90 has a relatively low Operating Cost, unfortunately the downside is that it has a much lower capability than the P-3C. For one, the TC-90 is not armed.