Clemens Aviation is the launch customer for Lithium Powered Hawker/Beechjet 400 STC

True Blue Power announced the company’s Gen5 TB40 (40 amp-hour) Advanced Lithium-ion Main Ship Battery is Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approved on Hawker/Beechjet 400 Series aircraft. The ultra-lightweight TB40 reduces Hawker/Beechjet aircraft battery weight by up to 60 pounds, increases useful load, faster turbine starts and improves performance.  

Clemens Aviation, a full-service FBO, maintenance facility and private aircraft management company in Wichita, Kansas, selected the TB40 due to its superior performance and ability to deliver cooler, faster engine starts, improved starter generator efficiency and longer component life. Clemens is the launch customer for the new True Blue Power TB40 Lithium-ion Battery STC Kit. The company is upgrading their fleet of Hawker/Beechjet 400s from lead acid to lithium-ion main ship batteries.  

“The TB40 lithium battery is a game changer for our fleet of 24 Beechjets,” said Alex Clemens with Clemens Aviation. “Between the cooler starts, weight savings and increased dispatch reliability, we were sold on the TB40 immediately!” 

The new Hawker/Beechjet 400 Series Lithium-ion Battery STC Kit can be purchased from True Blue Power. It includes: (1) TSO-certified Gen5 TB40 Advanced Lithium-ion Battery, (1) Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics Flex Digital Battery Annunciation Control Unit (ACU), installation hardware and manuals. This certified upgrade provides owners and operators with the lightest, most powerful and most reliable main ship battery on the market.  

Replacing the lead-acid battery in a Hawker/Beechjet 400 with a new TB40 cuts battery weight by 60 pounds. This significant weight savings allows for easy battery installation and removal in tight, hard-to-reach spaces. Less weight means more passengers, more cargo, more fuel and more design flexibility.  

True Blue Power batteries deliver cooler and faster engine starts which improves the Hawker/Beechjet 400’s starter generator efficiency. The TB40 lithium-ion battery can fully recharge within 30 minutes and features a built-in automatic heater for superior performance in extreme temperatures, down to -40°C.  

The TB40 features a proprietary Battery Management System (BMS) and provides constant monitoring, protection and capacity data. The Flex Digital ACU displays the 400’s main battery status, state of charge, state of health, volts, amps, temperature, remaining life and fault data directly to the pilot. Even smarter, Gen5 batteries are on-condition, require no capacity checks and last 8 years! 

True Blue Power partnered with Peregrine, an industry-leading certification resource, to develop the Hawker/Beechjet 400 lithium-ion battery STC.  

“The certification of the True Blue Power lithium-ion batteries on the Hawker/Beechjet 400 has taken the collaboration between our companies to new heights,” said TJ Spitzmiller, vice president of business development and administration for Peregrine.  “This STC demonstrates how True Blue Power’s lithium batteries continue to meet—and exceed—new FAA safety standards.”