29 January 2009
Diamond has received a EASA type certificate for its E4 (AE300) turbo-diesel aircraft engine.
Diamond says that the award of this type certificate “represents a most significant milestone, and secures the future of the company.” The plan now is to finish the 27 DA42 NG aircraft currently on the production line which are being fitted with the AE300 (type certification is expected ‘imminently’). These will be followed by AE300-powered versions of the DA40 and DA50. Diamond is also to offer an AE300 version of the DA42 MPP (Multi-Purpose Platform).
Retrofits will be made available for existing Diamond diesel aircraft.
The project to create the engine, says Diamond, was ‘significantly more complex than originally anticipated’, and took 42 months ‘of most intense development work’, and cost 48 million euros.
However, Christian Dries, CEO of Diamond Aircraft Industries GmbH, confirmed that he was confident of a ‘good future for [both] companies, despite the current difficult times.’
