Diamond Aircraft’s Dart-750 has attracted strong interest after its sparkling debut performance during the Farnborough air show’s opening-day flying display on 22 July.
Numerous military delegations have toured the aircraft now on display in the static area, with Wednesday having been the busiest for visitors, sales manager Mario Spiegel tells FlightGlobal.
Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine, the Dart-750 trainer is being pitched at customers with a need to replace aged trainers such as the Pilatus PC-7.
With a maximum level cruise speed of 240kt (444km/h), an operating ceiling of 25,000ft and handling performance of +6/-4g, the Dart-750 uses Garmin G3000 avionics and is fitted with Martin-Baker Mk16 lightweight ejection seats.
“We have the intention to cover the basic trainer market: Phase I and II, and touching Phase III of the syllabus, where you can download some hours from more expensive training aircraft and prepare the students better,” Spiegel says.
He points to the new type’s tandem-seating configuration and use of an all-composite airframe, “with the huge benefit of no corrosion and unlimited lifetime”, as among its advantages.
Potential opportunities for the Austrian-built model include France’s Mentor2 requirement, where it faces competition from rivals including Grob Aircraft France’s developmental TPX Cobra.
Diamond is waiting for France to move into its next phase of the programme, with flight evaluations of candidate types yet to take place.
Meanwhile, a second Dart-750 is currently in final assembly, and will support certification activities to be conducted from later this year.
“EASA [European Union Aviation Safety Agency] certification is due next year, the configuration is frozen, and we have done a lot of development flight-testing already,” Spiegel says.
