EADS Socata is to launch a more-powerful derivative of its six-seat TBM700 turboprop single, provisionally called the TBM850, to be offered in direct competition with very light jets (VLJ).
The company will announce the new aircraft in Washington DC on 13 December. Socata says the new TBM will give operators “true jet performance without exposing them to the huge increases in direct operating costs and insurance premiums, plus the time-consuming transition training associated with the emerging light jets”. It declines to reveal the specifications of the TBM850.
The aircraft will have a more-powerful version of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-64, which is flat rated to 700hp (520kW) on the TBM700. A new propeller may also be introduced, pushing cruise speed up from 300kt (555km/h) to around 330-340kt, and providing a “considerable increase in rate of climb” from 21min to 31,000ft (9,460m), says an industry source.
Most of the forthcoming VLJs cruise at between 315kt and 385kt, at a maximum operating height of 41,000ft. Raytheon Aircraft has introduced a more-powerful King Air C90GT to compete with VLJs, with uprated PT6As boosting the twin-turboprop’s cruise speed by 25kt to more than 270kt.
EADS Socata will market the TBM850 mainly on its lower direct operating costs (DOC). The TBM700 costs around $340 an hour to operate, says one operator, who adds: “DOC becomes a much more interesting figure as the price of fuel climbs upwards. The VLJs won’t get anywhere near that.”
The USA will be the primary market for the new aircraft, although it is understood the TBM850 will also be available in Europe. Single-engined commercial operations in instrument flight rules conditions are banned in several European countries, despite lobbying by Socata, Pilatus, Cessna, Diamond and the engine manufacturers.
JULIAN MOXON/LONDON
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JUSTIN WASTNAGE
Source: Flight International
