General aviation’s most iconic brands are poised to become one after Cessna parent company Textron confirmed it is buying Beechcraft for $1.4 billion. While the deal gives Beech a rock solid foundation for the future 10 months after emerging from bankruptcy, there are still many more questions than answers about what the merger means for the companies involved.
Here’s what we know so far: Textron is buying Beech primarily for the coveted King Air product line, which will continue to be sold under the Beechcraft brand name. The deal also includes the type certificates for the Premier IA and Hawker 4000, but the business jets won’t reenter production. Instead, Hawker Beechcraft Services, which Textron is also buying, will continue supporting bizjet customers.
