Diamond Aircraft is showing an intriguing mockup of the DA50 Turbine at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany this week. The proposed model would be an upgraded version of Diamond’s developmental DA50 Magnum piston single, with power coming from a 450 shp AI-450S turbine engine built by Ukrainian company Motor Sich JSC.
Diamond is showing off the airplane and engine in a proof-of-concept mockup that preserves the sleek lines of the originally announced DA50 but with a stretched nose to accommodate the turbine engine. Price and performance numbers have not been announced.
Work on the piston DA50 slowed as Diamond in the last few years shifted its focus to the single-engine D-Jet. Promised Middle Eastern financing for that project never materialized and the jet now has been put on the back burner. It appears Diamond is placing a renewed emphasis on propeller airplanes. The company recently introduced the upgraded DA40 XLT model with a nicely upgraded interior. Diamond is also putting the finishing touches on the latest generation of the DA42 diesel-engine twin, and it continues certification work on the new DA52 piston twin.
Meanwhile, the company has hired back about two dozen workers in London, Ontario, after laying off nearly all of the 220 workers there earlier this year.
