Daher on April 5 at the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, unveiled the newest version of its TBM pressurized single turboprop aircraft family, the TBM 960, which incorporates Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT6E-66XT engine and a fully digital e-throttle. The aircraft also includes what Daher describes as a digitally controlled cabin that incorporates an all-new environmental control system, LED ambience lighting and electrically dimmable windows.

“The TBM 960 is the quintessential TBM, representing the fifth evolution of our very fast turboprop aircraft family since the TBM 900-series’ introduction in 2014,” said Nicolas Chabbert, the Senior Vice President of Daher’s Aircraft Division. “It takes the maximum advantage of today’s turboprop technology to provide digital control of the engine and the propeller.”

The TBM 960 has been certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the certification process with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is currently underway. Deliveries of the TBM 960, which joins the existing TBM 910 model, are set to begin in the first half of 2022.

The TBM 960 retains the high speed of Daher’s TBM family, explains the company, while enabling lower fuel consumption. At Daher’s recommended cruise setting of 308 kts, the fuel consumption is only 57 U.S. gallons per hour, which is a 10 per cent fuel economy compared to the maximum cruise setting, for more sustainability.

Daher explains the heart of this latest TBM version is the intelligent PT6E-66XT powerplant and Hartzell Propeller’s five-blade Raptor composite propeller, both of which are linked to the dual-channel digital Engine and Propeller Electronic Control System (EPECS).

With its G3000 integrated flight deck, the TBM 960 retains Daher’s e-copilot and safety systems found in other TBM models. This includes an icing protection system, flight envelope monitoring through the Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) and the Under-speed Protection (USP) systems, the Emergency Descent Mode (EDM) function, as well as the HomeSafe emergency autoland system.

(Photo: Daher)