EASA And FAA Approved; First Delivery To French MoD

Garmin International announced Thursday the delivery of the first DAHER-SOCATA TBM 700 upgraded with the G1000 integrated flight deck. The first delivery went to the French Ministry of Defense (MoD) and is part of a contract to upgrade 27 TBM 700s in service with the French military.

“We are proud to expand our line-up of G1000 retrofit platforms to include the TBM 700 and honored by the French MoD’s decision to upgrade their fleet,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “G1000 retrofit programs have been well received because they bring leading-edge capabilities to older cockpits. We know the TBM 700 operators that choose to upgrade to G1000 will appreciate the advantages of flying behind a fully integrated system with world class situational awareness tools and capabilities.”

“We are thrilled to work with the French Ministry of Defense on the modernization of their TBM 700 fleet, which is made up of A and B models,” said Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of the DAHER-SOCATA airplane division. “This upgrade gives them the most up-to-date technology and features while still allowing them to benefit from the range, speed and economical operating costs of the TBM 700.”

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has approved a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the installation, and the STC has received FAA validation.

TBM 700 File Photo

The G1000 installation on the TBM 700 has a 15-inch multi-function display (MFD) and two 10.4-inch primary flight displays (PFD). It also includes Garmin’s GFC 700 three-axis, fully digital, dual channel, automatic flight control system (AFCS). The GFC 700 includes features you would expect in this class of aircraft such as coupled SBAS (EGNOS/WAAS) LNAV/VNAV and LPV approaches. Garmin's synthetic vision technology (SVT) is also available to TBM 700 operators.

The TBM 700 marks the fifth aircraft model that is approved for the G1000 field upgrade. Others include the Cessna CitationJet and the Beechcraft King Air C90, 200 and B200. The King Air 300/350 models are expected to receive certification later this year. TBM 700 installations are performed through DAHER-SOCATA and their authorized facilities, and owners interested in this cockpit upgrade should contact the company.

FMI: www.garmin.com