The F406 Caravan II is a twin turboprop engined, fourteen-seat low
wing monoplane of conventional aluminium and steel construction. A
development of the Cessna 404 with two Pratt & Whitney PT-6 turboprop engines, it is similar to the pressurized Cessna 441. The aircraft first flew on 22 September1983, and is still produced by Reims Aviation.
The F406 is aimed at passenger and small cargo transport, and
civilian and military surveillance. For extra cargo capacity a cargo
pod can be fitted to the belly of the aircraft. The Surmar is a new maritime surveillance version of the aircraft with extra equipment such as a 360 degree radar.
Though the two engines make it more expensive to operate than similar aircraft such as the single-engined Cessna 208 Caravan I,
having two engines makes it comply with European regulations regarding
commercial operations, which only allow multi-engine aircraft for
commercial instrument flight.
