Daher Aircraft's Kodiak 900 has been certified by the Brazilian airworthiness authority ANAC, clearing this larger and faster version of the cornerstone Kodiak 100 for operation in a country with significant requirements for modern, highly capable multi-role airplanes.

The Kodiak 900 retains the Kodiak 100's remarkable qualities as a ‘go anywhere’ aircraft, while marking a further evolution through its fuselage length extension of 1.19 m for more passenger room and cargo space, a cruise speed increase to 210 kts, a greater useful load and a range extension to 1,129 nm.

The operating economics of the Kodiak 900 also have been improved, with a nine per cent reduction in specific fuel consumption, a double-digit gain when compared to competitors. These improvements reduce the cost-per-seat-mile and direct operating costs for commercial operators.

“With Brazil's airworthiness certification, the Kodiak 900 now joins our Kodiak 100 to meet the country's full scope of transportation needs,” explains Daher Aircraft CEO Nicolas Chabbert. “These aircraft are perfectly suited for everything from serving the agriculture, farming, construction and public safety sectors to corporate travel, regional airline modernisation and utility missions such as humanitarian operations and parachute jumping.”

Chabbert noted that a growing fleet of Kodiak 100s already are operating in Brazil, along with an established customer base for Daher Aircraft's fast and efficient TBM airplane family.

“Both the Kodiak 900 and Kodiak 100 share the same sturdy design and excellent handling characteristics, including their short takeoff and landing capabilities, as well as resistance to stalls and spins,” adds Paulo C. Olenscki, the executive director of Daher Aircraft's Brazilian operation. “Equipped with a robust fixed landing gear, the Kodiak 900 and Kodiak 100 are designed to operate from off-airport sites ranging from remote backcountry strips to grass and gravel runways.”

The Kodiak 900's stretched fuselage provides a total cabin volume increase of 20 per cent to 309 cubic ft. It features a 10-seat layout that couples Daher's expertise in refined, luxurious interiors for its TBM aircraft family with the Kodiak's rugged heritage, creating a cabin that is both versatile and well-appointed.

With new multi-directional Summit+ passenger seats, the Kodiak 900's interior can be arranged in various configurations: from a double club layout to an all-forward-facing orientation. The seats are easily removable to maximise cabin space and payload capacity.

The Kodiak 900 is powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada's 900-shaft horsepower PT6A-140A turboprop engine, which is tailored for the utility aircraft market and optimised for highly demanding conditions. This engine delivers the best ‘hot and high’ performance in its class and powers a five-blade Hartzell composite propeller with a low 1,900 rpm setting that enables operations in strictly regulated noise sensitive areas.

Garmin's G1000 NXi integrated avionics suite, standard on both the Kodiak 900 and Kodiak 100, features high-resolution glass displays and an advanced autopilot. The GDL 60 datalink and PlaneSync technology introduce a fully connected-aircraft capability, enabling rapid wireless downloads of navigation and database updates, automatic database logging for simplified flight and engine-performance tracking, and remote aircraft ‘wake-up’ functionality.

The Kodiak 900 was certified by the US FAA in 2022 and received its EASA validation in 2023.

Sustained production of the Kodiak 900 and Kodiak 100 is continuing in parallel at Daher Aircraft's Sandpoint, Idaho industrial facility. Since acquiring the Kodiak product line in 2019, the company has invested millions of dollars to enhance manufacturing resources as well as to evolve the aircraft family's avionics and systems.

Daher Aircraft established a Brazilian operation in São Paulo earlier this year to support and expand the presence of the TBM and Kodiak aircraft families in Brazil and across Latin America.