Backcountry Triumph in the European Theater

Daher—the French industrial conglomerate and parent company of general aviation aircraft concerns TBM, Kodiak, and SOCATA, and model rocket producer Quest Aerospace—announced on 20 April 2023 that its Kodiak 900 turboprop utility aircraft had been granted type-certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The newly-earned certification enables Daher to commence Kodiak 900 deliveries within the European Union.

U.S. certification for the Kodiak 900 was granted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2022.

Daher Aircraft Division senior vice-president Nicolas Chabbert stated at a press conference: “With its higher cruise speed, excellent operating efficiency, enhanced climb performance, and larger cabin, our Kodiak 900 meets the requirements of many customers who seek a faster aircraft and increased cargo capacity.”

Chabbert set forth European interest in the Kodiak 900 has been consistently keen, and numerous inquiries from operators engaged in air ambulance, firefighting support, skydiving, and surveillance missions have been fielded by Daher’s European authorized distributor network.

An eminently capable single-engine, STOL turboprop, Daher’s Kodiak-900 is, in essence, a larger, faster iteration of the company’s Kodiak-100. The Kodiak 900 is assembled in Sandpoint, Idaho—as is its Kodiak 100 forebear, which Daher intends to continue producing. The 900 inherits its ancestor’s backcountry formidability but offers operators an increased, 210-knot cruise speed, a greater useful load, and a maximum range of 1,129-nautical-miles.

The Kodiak-900’s stretched fuselage encompasses 309-cubic-feet of cabin space—twenty-percent more than the 100-series—and pampers passengers in an all-new interior evocative of the luxurious and refined accommodations of the machine’s TBM stablemates.

In addition to enhancing its new offering’s speed, space, and style, Daher has lessened the Kodiak 900’s specific fuel consumption by five-percent, thereby lowering the aircraft’s cost-per-seat-mile and direct operating costs.

Mr. Chabbert added: “This is another answer to the commitment of enhancing sustainability and improving the carbon footprint of general aviation. The Kodiak 900 is in a category of its own: a highly-versatile, unpressurized, utility turboprop-airplane that can carry impressive payloads while cruising comfortably at 210-knots in refined luxury.”

The Kodiak 900 is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s nine-hundred-shaft horsepower PT6A-140A turboprop engine. The powerplant delivers the best high and hot performance in its class, and is optimized for the demanding ground and flight environments characteristic of the utility aircraft mission and market. Worldwide, PT6A-140 series engines have logged more than two-million flight-hours.

Cognizant of the fact that a robust and reliable engine is of little use without an equally robust and reliable propeller system—Daher provisioned the Kodiak-900 with a new, constant-speed, full-feathering, hydraulically-actuated, five-blade composite propeller from Hartzell. The system’s design and low 1,900-rpm take-off and approach setting contribute to the Kodiak-900’s low noise level of 79.5-dB, and allow the aircraft to operate in the most strictly-regulated noise sensitive areas.

The Kodiak-900’s increased cabin capacity, powerful and durable drivetrain, and rugged airframe offer private users and air-carriers alike a desirable combination of speed, payload, and range. The aircraft is an excellent platform for cargo, small package freight, and backcountry charter operations.

Development of the Kodiak-900 began in 2016. The aircraft made its maiden flight on 28 February 2020. The first European delivery of Daher’s Kodiak 900 is slated for Autumn 2023.

FMI: www.kodiak.aero