Diamond Aircraft has completed the first upgrade of a twin-engined DA42 to its new-generation offering.
The four-seat, Thielert Centurion 1.7-powered aircraft belonging to Spanish Flight School Academy CESDA was retrofitted with Diamond's Austro AE300 diesel engines, which the company was persuaded to develop following Thielert's bankruptcy in April 2008.
Other customers are lining up for the upgrade, "which should take no longer than four weeks", according to Diamond.
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Meanwhile, Diamond's next-generation DA42 multipurpose platform - dubbed the Guardian - has entered service with the airframer's subsidiary, Diamond Airborne Sensing.
The aircraft, which is designed for surveillance, reconnaissance and search and rescue missions is also powered by the AE300, but has a fully integrated Garmin GFC700 autopilot, flight director, yaw damper and flight level change modus. Diamond is also planing to offer a synthetic aperture radar as an option.
Source: Flight International
