{"id":764,"date":"2019-11-22T22:31:26","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T22:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pimaair.wpengine.com\/?post_type=museum_aircraft&#038;p=764"},"modified":"2025-05-20T16:56:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T23:56:42","slug":"beechcraft-rc-12k","status":"publish","type":"museum_aircraft","link":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/","title":{"rendered":"Beechcraft RC-12K"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Beechcraft RC-12K Guardrail<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Beechcraft-RC-12K.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Guardrail-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A picture of the Beechcraft RC-12K Guardrail\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Beechcraft C-12 is a part of the company\u2019s King Air family of mid-sized turboprop powered civil aircraft. It has been used by all branches of the U.S. military. The King Air was introduced by Beechcraft in 1964 with the slightly redesigned Model 200 Super King Air going on sale in 1974. The King Air is one of the most successful aircraft in its class and has remained in production continuously since its introduction in 1964. The C-12 is the military designation for the Model 200. The RC-12K is a signals intelligence aircraft designed to intercept adversary\u2019s communications. The system was introduced in the early 1980s. Several versions of the Guardrail system have been used in the years since. The RC-12K was introduced in 1985 and featured more powerful engines allowing an increased take-off weight. A total of nine aircraft were produced for the U.S. Army and two for Israel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Wingspan<\/td>\n<td>54 ft 6 in.<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\">Wingspan<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Length<\/td>\n<td>43 ft 9 in.<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Length<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Height<\/td>\n<td>15 ft<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Height<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Weight<\/td>\n<td>16,000 lbs (loaded)<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Weight<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Max. Speed<\/td>\n<td>283 MPH<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Maximum Speed<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Service Ceiling<\/td>\n<td>35,000 ft<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Service Ceiling<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Range<\/td>\n<td>2,075 miles<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Range<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Engines<\/td>\n<td>Two Pratt &#038; Whitney Canada PT6A-67 turboprops with 1100 horsepower each <\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Engines<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Crew<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Crew<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong><\/span><br \/>Beechcraft<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Markings<\/strong><\/span><br \/>U.S. Army, Company B, 1<sup>st<\/sup> Military Intelligence Battalion, Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, Wiesbaden, Germany<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Serial Number<\/strong><\/span><br \/>85-0148<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #2387c3;\"><strong>Designation<\/strong><\/span><br \/>RC-12K<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><br \/>\n<!-- {\"name\":\"Aircraft Layout - Final\",\"type\":\"layout\",\"children\":[{\"type\":\"section\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"style\":\"default\",\"title_breakpoint\":\"xl\",\"title_position\":\"top-left\",\"title_rotation\":\"left\",\"vertical_align\":\"\",\"width\":\"large\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"row\",\"children\":[{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"width_medium\":\"1-1\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"headline\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"Beechcraft RC-12K Guardrail\",\"title_decoration\":\"divider\",\"title_element\":\"h1\"}}]}]},{\"type\":\"row\",\"props\":{\"layout\":\"1-2,1-2\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"width_medium\":\"1-2\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"image\",\"props\":{\"image\":\"wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/Guardrail-scaled.jpg\",\"image_alt\":\"A picture of the Beechcraft RC-12K Guardrail\",\"image_svg_color\":\"emphasis\",\"link\":\"wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/Beechcraft-RC-12K.jpg\",\"margin\":\"default\"}},{\"type\":\"text\",\"props\":{\"column_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"content\":\"\n\n<p>The Beechcraft C-12 is a part of the company\\u2019s King Air family of mid-sized turboprop powered civil aircraft. It has been used by all branches of the U.S. military. The King Air was introduced by Beechcraft in 1964 with the slightly redesigned Model 200 Super King Air going on sale in 1974. The King Air is one of the most successful aircraft in its class and has remained in production continuously since its introduction in 1964. The C-12 is the military designation for the Model 200. The RC-12K is a signals intelligence aircraft designed to intercept adversary\\u2019s communications. The system was introduced in the early 1980s. Several versions of the Guardrail system have been used in the years since. The RC-12K was introduced in 1985 and featured more powerful engines allowing an increased take-off weight. A total of nine aircraft were produced for the U.S. Army and two for Israel.<\\\/p>\",\"margin\":\"default\"}}]},{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"width_medium\":\"1-2\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"table\",\"props\":{\"image_svg_color\":\"emphasis\",\"link_style\":\"default\",\"link_text\":\"Read more\",\"meta_style\":\"\",\"show_content\":true,\"show_image\":true,\"show_link\":true,\"show_meta\":true,\"show_title\":false,\"table_last_align\":\"right\",\"table_order\":\"3\",\"table_responsive\":\"responsive\",\"table_style\":\"striped\",\"table_vertical_align\":false,\"table_width_meta\":\"\",\"table_width_title\":\"shrink\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"table_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p><strong><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\">Wingspan<\\\/span><\\\/strong><\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"54 ft 6 in.\",\"title\":\"Wingspan\"}},{\"type\":\"table_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Length<\\\/strong><\\\/span><\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"43 ft 9 in.\",\"title\":\"Length\"}},{\"type\":\"table_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Height<\\\/strong><\\\/span><\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"15 ft\",\"title\":\"Height\"}},{\"type\":\"table_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Weight<\\\/strong><\\\/span><\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"16,000 lbs (loaded)\",\"title\":\"Weight\"}},{\"type\":\"table_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Maximum Speed<\\\/strong><\\\/span><\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"283 MPH\",\"title\":\"Max. Speed\"}},{\"type\":\"table_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Service Ceiling<\\\/strong><\\\/span><\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"35,000 ft\",\"title\":\"Service Ceiling\"}},{\"type\":\"table_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Range<\\\/strong><\\\/span><\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"2,075 miles\",\"title\":\"Range\"}},{\"type\":\"table_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Engines<\\\/strong><\\\/span><\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"Two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67 turboprops with 1100 horsepower each \",\"title\":\"Engines\"}},{\"type\":\"table_item\",\"props\":{\"content\":\"\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Crew<\\\/strong><\\\/span><\\\/p>\",\"meta\":\"2\",\"title\":\"Crew\"}}]}]}]},{\"type\":\"row\",\"children\":[{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"width_medium\":\"1-1\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"divider\",\"props\":{\"divider_element\":\"hr\"}}]}]},{\"type\":\"row\",\"props\":{\"layout\":\"1-2,1-2\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"width_medium\":\"1-2\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"props\":{\"column_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"content\":\"\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Manufacturer<\\\/strong><\\\/span><br \\\/>Beechcraft<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Markings<\\\/strong><\\\/span><br \\\/>U.S. Army, Company B, 1<sup>st<\\\/sup> Military Intelligence Battalion, Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, Wiesbaden, Germany<\\\/p>\",\"margin\":\"default\"}}]},{\"type\":\"column\",\"props\":{\"image_position\":\"center-center\",\"position_sticky_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"width_medium\":\"1-2\"},\"children\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"props\":{\"column_breakpoint\":\"m\",\"content\":\"\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Serial Number<\\\/strong><\\\/span><br \\\/>85-0148<\\\/p>\\n\n\n<p><span style=\\\"color: #2387c3;\\\"><strong>Designation<\\\/strong><\\\/span><br \\\/>RC-12K<\\\/p>\",\"margin\":\"default\"}}]}]}]}],\"version\":\"4.4.12\"} --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4830,"template":"","categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-764","museum_aircraft","type-museum_aircraft","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beechcraft","Designation-rc-12k","name-guardrail"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Beechcraft RC-12K - Pima Air &amp; Space<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beechcraft RC-12K - Pima Air &amp; Space\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beechcraft RC-12K Guardrail The Beechcraft C-12 is a part of the company\u2019s King Air family of mid-sized turboprop powered civil aircraft. It has been used by all branches of the U.S. military. The King Air was introduced by Beechcraft in 1964 with the slightly redesigned Model 200 Super King Air going on sale in 1974. [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pima Air &amp; Space\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-20T23:56:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Guardrail-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/\",\"name\":\"Beechcraft RC-12K - Pima Air &amp; Space\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Guardrail-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-22T22:31:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-20T23:56:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Guardrail-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Guardrail-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1440},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Beechcraft RC-12K\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/\",\"name\":\"Pima Air &amp; Space\",\"description\":\"Creating Unlimited Horizons in Aerospace Education\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Beechcraft RC-12K - Pima Air &amp; Space","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Beechcraft RC-12K - Pima Air &amp; Space","og_description":"Beechcraft RC-12K Guardrail The Beechcraft C-12 is a part of the company\u2019s King Air family of mid-sized turboprop powered civil aircraft. It has been used by all branches of the U.S. military. The King Air was introduced by Beechcraft in 1964 with the slightly redesigned Model 200 Super King Air going on sale in 1974. [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/","og_site_name":"Pima Air &amp; Space","article_modified_time":"2025-05-20T23:56:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1440,"url":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Guardrail-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/","url":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/","name":"Beechcraft RC-12K - Pima Air &amp; Space","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Guardrail-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2019-11-22T22:31:26+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-20T23:56:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Guardrail-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Guardrail-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1440},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/museum-aircraft\/beechcraft-rc-12k\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Beechcraft RC-12K"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/","name":"Pima Air &amp; Space","description":"Creating Unlimited Horizons in Aerospace Education","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/museum_aircraft\/764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/museum_aircraft"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/museum_aircraft"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pimaair.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}