The US Army will purchase three DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft from Viking Air Limited for its elite Golden Knights parachute team.
Priced at $14.3 million in total, the three aircraft will replace two existing Twin Otter Series 300 twin-engine turboprops, purchased from de Havilland Canada in 1979, and one Pilatus Porter, a single-engine turboprop. The Golden Knights use the 16-passenger aircraft as jump platforms.
Viking, which purchased the type certificate for the Twin Otter and six other de Havilland aircraft from Bombardier in February 2006, restarted Twin Otter production last year. The company plans to deliver the first Golden Knights aircraft in 2010 and the remaining two in 2011. The sale brings Viking’s order book for firm and optional purchases for the Twin Otter to more than 40.
Source: FlightGlobal.com