DIAMOND DA42 TWINSTAR

Since its founding in the 1980s, Austrian manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Industries had concentrated on building up an extensive product line. During the late 1990s, company founder and chief executive office Christian Dries approached the design team with a concept for a twin-engined aircraft, which would become the company’s first multi-engined aircraft and serve as the next step above the Diamond DA40.

This concept emphasised several key qualities, including the need for the aircraft to be relatively simple to operate and be fuel-efficient, while also providing a luxurious four-seat passenger compartment akin to modern automobiles.

During April 2004, the DA42 Twin Star received certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) under the latter’s newly-introduced Part procedures. In July 2005, the aircraft was also awarded certification from the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) in the United States. It has been certified to fly under both visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR), allowing it to be operated under a wide range of conditions. Around its introduction to service, aerospace publication

During 2004, the DA42 Twin Star became the first diesel-powered fixed-wing aircraft to perform a non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic.

As a consequence of the insolvency of engine manufacturer Thielert,  in July 2008, Diamond announced that production of the DA42 has been suspended. At the time production was suspended the DA42 was reported to hold around 80 per cent of the piston twin market.

In March 2009, Diamond achieved EASA certification for the Austro Engine AE 300, which enabled the DA42 to resume production; equipped with the Austro engine, these aircraft were designated and marketed as the DA42 NG. In April 2009, the first Austro-powered DA42 NG was delivered to a customer in Sweden. On 9 April 2010, the DA42 NG received FAA certification, clearing the way for sales to resume to North American customers.

By March 2012, the DA42 had become the major income driver at Diamond Aircraft. Company CEO Christian Dries indicated that the market focus of the company had been changed by the Great Recession of 2008–2010 which, as a result, had led the company to transition to derive two-thirds of its revenue from military and government contracts, primarily for manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft, the latter in the form of the Aeronautics Defense Dominator.

Also in March 2012, Diamond aircraft announced they were developing a fly-by-wire version of the DA42, which had the stated aim of reducing the accident rate in light aircraft. The system is expected to eventually include flight envelope protection, turbulence righting, autoland capabilities, and damage-tolerant by-pass capabilities, the latter of which would allow for effective flight while suffering from jammed or otherwise non-functional flight surfaces.

The autonomous DA42 was flown and landed without ground support in 2015.

In July 2018, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta announced a UAV version, DA-42B, armed with the 9M120 Ataka antitank missile.

Aircraft of similar role, configuration and era are: Aeronautics Defense Dominator, Beechcraft Duchess, Piper PA-44 Seminole.