Diamond Aircraft has changed the powerplant for its DART advanced trainer from the General Electric GE H75-100 turboprop engine to the more powerful, and fully certified, 750 SHP PT6A-25C turboprop engine from Pratt & Whitney Canada.

"After careful consideration, we came to the conclusion that an adjustment of the DART program was necessary in order to move forward with the aircraft certification process," says Liqun (Frank) Zhang, ceo. "In order to meet our target timeline and as the window of opportunity on the market as well as with interested customers is limited, we decided - in close consultation with our R&D department - to pursue our DART program with the proven and certified PT6A-25C."

The aerobatic trainer powered by the PT6A-25C turboprop engine will be named DART-750 and will, as previously envisaged, come with the state-of-the-art Garmin G3000 avionics suite and optional ejection seats.

Zhang adds, "With bringing the DART-750 to the market, Diamond Aircraft will be the only manufacturer that is covering the complete range of basic flight training. The aircraft is already considered for many programs all over the world. We are seeing a huge potential for the aircraft in the government training market. The unmatched price-performance ratio will make the DART the perfect choice for future basic training of pilots."

"We worked closely with Diamond Aircraft on determining the best powerplant for the new DART-750 acrobatic trainer program and believe Diamond Aircraft have made an excellent choice in selecting the PT6A-25C engine," says Anthony Rossi, vp, business development, Pratt & Whitney Canada. "Diamond has been a mainstay of the general aviation sector for 40 years and we are happy to welcome them aboard as our newest airframe OEM. We believe the PT6A-25C engine, and the new DART-750 will be an outstanding pairing."

"We are pleased that Diamond Aircraft has selected the iconic PT6A engine to pursue its DART program," adds Nicholas Kanellias, vp, general aviation, Pratt & Whitney Canada. "Single engine turboprop safety demands a proven engine and the selection of the PT6A-25C for the DART-750 is yet another endorsement of an engine that already powers hundreds of military trainers in operation around the world. The PT6A-25C is an ideal engine for trainer applications due to its unique power and response profile."

Basic EASA certification of the aerobatic trainer is expected end of 2023.