Diamond DA62

DA52 and DA62
DA62
Role Twin engine light aircraft
National origin Austria
Manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Industries
Aeromot
First flight 3 April 2012
Introduction October 2015
Status In production (DA62)[1]
Produced 2015-present
Number built 120 (April 2019)
Developed from Diamond DA50

The Diamond DA62 is a five- to seven-seat, twin-engine light aircraft produced by Diamond Aircraft Industries and first announced in March 2012.[2][3][4]

The prototype, designated as the DA52, first flew on 3 April 2012 after six months of development.[3][5] In June 2014 it was announced the production aircraft would be designated the DA62.[6][7]

Design and development

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The DA62 development team is headed by Diamond managing director Manfred Zipper. It is based upon the fuselage of the single-engine Diamond DA50, but with two Austro AE330 Diesel engines burning Jet A fuel. Company CEO Christian Dries indicated that the engines may be replaced with turboprops.[2][5]

In flying the prototype from Diamond's Wiener Neustadt plant to the 2012 AERO Friedrichshafen aviation trade show, the aircraft achieved 16.6 mpg (14.2 litres/100 km) fuel efficiency, the result of improvements in cooling drag and aerodynamic drag made during its development.[8]

The company originally intended to have the aircraft available for sale in July 2013 and expected to offer fly-by-wire controls as an option by 2014, but development was delayed and those dates were not met.[3][4] The DA62 was European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)-certified on 16 April 2015.[9][10] By September 2015, the company was preparing to deliver the first production DA62s to customers the following month and was manufacturing the first aircraft destined for the United States market — the tenth DA52/DA62 to be built and the third production aircraft — for an appearance at that year's National Business Aviation Association Convention in November.[11] American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification was received on 23 February 2016[12][13] The FAA certification came ten months after EASA certification.[12] At the 2016 AERO Friedrichshafen show, Diamond's CEO Christian Dries reported that production would be increased to 60–62 aircraft per year to meet strong demand.[14]

The aircraft is available in two weight versions. The "European" version has five seats and a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 1,999 kilograms (4,407 lb), the "US" version has seven seats and a MTOW of 2,300 kilograms (5,071 lb).[15][16] The lower MTOW of the "European" version is to allow operators to avoid higher weight-based air traffic control user charges.[11] The third row of seating and increased MTOW of the "US" version are available as factory options at extra cost.[15] At the 2016 AERO Friedrichshafen, Christian Dries said a special version with an additional baggage belly pod was under consideration for the air charter market.[14]

By April 2019 more than 120 DA62s had been delivered.[17] Aircraft are built in both Austria and Canada.

In January 2023, it was announced that Aeromot will assemble DA62s in Brazil from kits supplied by Diamond Aircraft Canada, starting in 2025. The intention is to ramp-up production to 50 aircraft per year. The completed aircraft will be sold primarily in the south American market.[18]

Operational history

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Notable owners include German Leader of the Opposition Friedrich Merz, who, controversially flew to the wedding of Minister of Finance Christian Lindner in July 2022, claiming that the DA62 consumed less fuel than official limousines. Media fact checking disputed that claim however, conceding that the total consumption will probably be lower, if the travelling speed and detours - almost unavoidable for cars bound to roads - are factored into the comparison.[19][20]

On October 6, 2023, the Nigerian Air Force acquired four DA 62 MPPs, registered in Nigeria as NAF260/261/262/263.[21]

In July 2024, a contract was signed for the sale of three DA62 MPPs for €23.3 million.[22] They were bought by Greece for the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection(el), to serve as air operations centers for firefighting and SAR, as well for aerial surveillance. The delivery is set to be completed by the third quarter of 2025.[23][24]

Variants

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Diamond DA52 prototype on its maiden flight, 3 April 2012, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
Diamond DA62 with surveillance sensors at Paris Air Show 2017
DA52
Prototype, two built.
DA62
Five–seven seat production variant with an extra third window and larger horizontal stabilizer.[7][25]
DA62 MPP
"Multi-Purpose Platform" variant intended for law enforcement, search and rescue, and surveillance operations.[26][27]

Specifications (DA62)

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Data from Air International[28] and Diamond Aircraft website[29]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Capacity: up to six passengers
  • Length: 9.19 m (30 ft 2 in)
  • Wingspan: 14.55 m (47 ft 9 in)
  • Height: 2.82 m (9 ft 3 in)
  • Wing area: 17.10 m2 (184.1 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 1,570 kg (3,461 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 2,300 kg (5,071 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 326 litres (72 imp gal; 86 US gal)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Austro AE330 turbocharged 2.0 liter diesel aircraft engines, 134 kW (180 hp) each
  • Propellers: 3-bladed MT propeller MTV-6-R-C-F/CF 194-80[29]

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 356 km/h (221 mph, 192 kn) True Air Speed (TAS)[30] at Maximum Continuous Power (MCP) at 14,000 ft.[29]
  • Cruise speed: 317 km/h (197 mph, 171 kn) (TAS) at 75% power[29]
  • Stall speed: 125 km/h (78 mph, 67 kn)
  • Never exceed speed: 379 km/h (235 mph, 205 kn)
  • Range: 2,380 km (1,480 mi, 1,290 nmi) [30]
  • Endurance: 10 h[31]
  • Service ceiling: 6,096 m (20,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 5.2 m/s (1,029 ft/min)
  • Fuel consumption: 7.4 US gal (28 L) per hour total at loiter,[31] 11.8 US gal (45 L) per hour at 60% (12,000 ft) in total[29]

Avionics

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Diamond Aircraft Industries. "Single Engine Aircraft". diamond-air.at. Archived from the original on 5 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  2. ^ a b Bertorelli, Paul (17 March 2012). "At Aero, More New Stuff From Diamond". AVweb. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Diamond Aircraft Industries (3 April 2012). "Erstflug der neuen DA52 von Diamond Aircraft". Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  4. ^ a b Pew, Glenn (20 April 2012). "Diamond Shares DA52 Maiden Flight Stats". AVweb. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  5. ^ a b Bertorelli, Paul (3 April 2012). "Diamond Flies Its New DA52". AVweb. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  6. ^ Reed Business Information Limited (2014-06-05). "Diamond's top-of-the-range DA52 becomes DA62". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 27 April 2015. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ a b AVweb Staff (4 June 2014). "Diamond Renames The DA52 The DA62". AVWeb. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  8. ^ Bertorelli, Paul (18 April 2012). "Diamond's DA52 A Centerpiece". AVweb. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  9. ^ Grady, Mary (16 April 2015). "Diamond DA62 Twin Now EASA-Certified". avweb.com. Aviation Publishing Group. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Diamond Aircraft DA62 receives EASA Certification". Diamond Aircraft Industries. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  11. ^ a b Sarsfield, Kate (22 September 2015). "Diamond readies first DA62 piston twins for delivery". FlightGlobal. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  12. ^ a b "New Diamond Twin Snags FAA Certification". Flying. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  13. ^ "Diamond DA62 FAA Certified!" Diamond Aircraft Industries Retrieved 2016-2-26
  14. ^ a b "Aero: Diamond Says Strong Demand For DA62". avweb.com. 2016-04-22. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  15. ^ a b Pope, Stephen (3 December 2015). "We Fly: Diamond DA62". Flying. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  16. ^ "EASA Type Certificate Data Sheet No. EASA.A.005: Diamond DA 42 and variant [sic]; For models: DA 42, DA 42 M, DA 42 NG, DA 42 M-NG, DA 62 [sic]; Issue 31" (PDF). 1 July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  17. ^ Bertorelli, Paul (10 April 2019). "Aero: Diamond Revives The DA-50, This Time As A Retrac". AVweb. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  18. ^ Kate, O'Connor (26 January 2023). "Aeromot To Assemble Diamond DA62s In Brazil". AVweb. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  19. ^ "Merz-Flugzeug im Faktencheck: Wer verbraucht mehr Sprit?". www.zdf.de.
  20. ^ "Flugzeug von Friedrich Merz: So schnell ist es, so viel kostet und verbraucht es". www.tz.de. 3 August 2022.
  21. ^ https://airrecognition.com/index.php/news/defense-aviation-news/2023-news-aviation-aerospace/october/9289-nigerian-air-force-receives-last-of-four-diamond-aircraft-da-62-mpp-mpp-multi-purpose-platform.html [bare URL]
  22. ^ Papageorgiou, Giorgos (2024-04-04). "Πολιτική Προστασία: Έπεσαν υπογραφές για 3 αεροσκάφη εναέριας επιτήρησης" [Civil Protection: signatures for 3 aerial surveillance aircraft]. Flight (Πτήση) (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-09-19. Ο υπουργός Κλιματικής Κρίσης και Πολιτικής Προστασίας, Βασίλης Κικίλιας, υπέγραψε σήμερα σύμβαση για την προμήθεια 3 δικινητήριων αεροσκαφών εναέριας επιτήρησης Diamond DA62 MPP, μέσω διαγωνισμού που εξέλιξε το ΤΑΙΠΕΔ. [...] Τα αεροσκάφη θα αξιοποιούνται ως εναέρια κέντρα επιχειρήσεων, παρακολούθησης και καταγραφής δεδομένων (air-surveillance) με χρήση ηλεκτροπτικών συστημάτων τελευταίας τεχνολογίας. Ο προϋπολογισμός ήταν 23.336.000 ευρώ. [The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, today signed a contract for the supply of 3 Diamond DA62 MPP twin-engine aerial surveillance aircraft, through a tender developed by the Hellenic State Property Fund. [...] The aircraft will be used as airborne operations, monitoring and data recording centres (air-surveillance) using state-of-the-art electro-electrical systems. The budget was 23'336'000 euros.]
  23. ^ "Diamond Aircraft secures contract with Greek Government for three DA62 Special Mission Aircraft". Diamond Aircraft Industries. 2024-07-04. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  24. ^ "Έκλεισε η συμφωνία για την αγορά 3 αεροσκαφών DA62 MPP από την Ελλάδα" [Agreement for the purchase of 3 DA62 MPP aircraft from Greece]. Pronews.gr (in Greek). 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-09-19. Σήμερα υπογράφηκε η σύμβαση για την αγορά τριών δικινητήριων αεροσκαφών DA62 MPP, τα οποία θα λειτουργήσουν ως Εναέρια Κέντρα Επιχειρήσεων για παρακολούθηση και καταγραφή δεδομένων με τη χρήση ηλεκτροπτικών συστημάτων τελευταίας γενιάς. Το ΓΕΑ θα αναλάβει την λειτουργία και συντήρηση των τριών αεροσκαφών για λογαριασμό του Υπουργείου Πολιτικής Προστασίας. [Today the contract was signed for the purchase of three DA62 MPP twin-engine aircraft, which will operate as Airborne Operations Centres for monitoring and data recording using the latest generation of electrostatic systems. HAFGS will undertake the operation and maintenance of the three aircraft on behalf of the Ministry of Civil Protection.]
  25. ^ "Five-Seat Diamond DA-62 Twin Revealed". 1 March 2015.
  26. ^ "Eye in the sky: Diamond Aircraft's DA62 MPP special mission platform". Skies Mag. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  27. ^ "DA62 MPP Special Mission Aircraft". Airforce Technology. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  28. ^ Unwin 2015, p. 72.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g "DA62 TechSpecs". Diamond Aircraft DA62 Tech Specs.
  30. ^ a b "DA62 — More of the Best". Diamond Aircraft. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  31. ^ a b James Wynbrandt (July 17, 2018). "Diamond's DART 550 Trainer Makes World Debut". AIN online.
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