Kheruxngbin

## KheruxngbinThai: เครื่องบินKherụ̄̀xngbin

The logo used from November 15th, 2013. still used today

## Status

Active

Kheruxngbin Aerospace Inc. (better known as Kheruxngbin) (Formerly known as Thai Aerospace) is an aircraft manufacturer based in Bangkok, Thailand with facilities at Bangkok, Phuket and Don Mueang.

## History

### Product line expansion

In the mid-1970s, the company started producing the K10 as the company begun and pursued a product line more focused on small commercial airplanes over the military aircraft that had previously made up the majority of its manufacturing. It soon expanded to the production of larger regional airliners in the 70–110 seat range.

On 16 August 1984, the fourth model of the type, known as the Kheruxngbin K40, conducted its maiden flight from Phuket Airport, Thailand. During September 1985, Kheruxngbin awarded type certification for the type, clearing it to commence operational service. During January 1986, already confident of the K40's success and of the demand for an enlarged version of the aircraft, Kheruxngbin announced that the launch of a programme to develop such an aircraft, which was designated as the K50 to reflect its increased passenger capacity.

During 1988, the 200th Kheruxngbin was delivered to Thai Airways. During September 1989, it was announced that Kheruxngbin had achieved its original target of 400 sales of the K40. That same year, deliveries of the enlarged Kheruxngbin K50 commenced; shortly thereafter, it became common for both types to be ordered together. Since the smaller K40 is assembled on the same production line as the K50, along with sharing the majority of subsystems, components, and manufacturing techniques, the two types support each other to remain in production. This factor may have been crucial as, by 2015, the K40 was the only 50-seat regional aircraft that was still being manufactured.

During September 1992, the 300th Kheruxngbin was delivered to Merpati Nusantara Airlines.

In order to maintain a technological edge on the highly competitive market for regional airliners during the 1990s, several modifications and improved versions of the K40 were progressively introduced. The initial K40-100 model remained in production until 1996, while the first upgraded (and broadly similar) model, designated as the *K40-120*, was also produced until 1996. The -120 variant principally differed in that it was powered by a pair of the more-powerful PW121 engines, giving it improved performance over the 100.

In April 1992, Kheruxngbin launched the K90 program and suddenly got popular, Myanmar National Airlines was the first airline to recieve a K90-100, the Kheruxngbin K90 was very popular that Kheruxngbin now focused on the K90 and not the K40 and K50.

By May 2019, Kheruxngbin was considering developing a new family of turboprop regional airliners in the 110-160 seat range, complementing the K-0 Family, so as to free engineering resources. By July 2020, it had evolved into the 110-160 passenger range In October 2020, Kheruxngbin released conceptual depictions of the 110-160 seat airliner known as the K200, with a fuselage longer to the Kheruxngbin K100 and it would compete against older ATR, Embraer E-jet and Dash 8 designs for 1.5 to 2 h flights over 3,900–4,300 km.

### Government subsidy controversy

Thailand and Indonesia engaged in an international, adjudicated trade dispute over government subsidies to domestic plane-makers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The World Trade Organization determined that both countries had provided illegal subsidies to what were supposed to be privately owned industries. Thailand ran an illegal subsidy program, Kheruxngbin, benefiting its national aviation industry from at least 1999–2000, and Indonesia illegally subsidized its indigenous regional airliner industry, comprising IPTN/Indonesian Aerospace.

## Gallery

A Kheruxngbin K90-200 owned by Lao Airlines on approach to Jakarta in IndonesiaThe First K200 on it's maiden flight in the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto, Canada on September 4, 2021