A Canadian customer has received Daher Aircraft's 400th Kodiak, marking a significant achievement for the multi-role aircraft family as its customer base continues to expand across government, commercial, business and private aviation operations.

The milestone unit was a Kodiak 100 Series III delivered to Canada from Daher's production facility in Sandpoint, Idaho.

“The 400th Kodiak represents an important achievement for an airplane that has expanded far beyond its original purpose of supporting the humanitarian sector,” affirms Nicolas Chabbert, Daher Aircraft's CEO. “From the beginning, safety has been fundamental to the Kodiak's design with its superior handling characteristics, complemented by its outstanding short-field performance, excellent operating efficiency and mission adaptability.”

Since acquiring the Kodiak programme in 2019, Daher has continually developed the family by broadening the product line, introducing design improvements and enhancing the production capabilities. “Our success with these efforts is reflected in the marketplace,” Chabbert goes on. “Today, more than half of all Kodiak aircraft in service have been sold under the Daher brand.”

Kodiak also benefits from its integration into the Daher Care customer service organisation, which also supports more than 1,300 TBMs, as well as the 3,000 legacy airplanes built by predecessor companies.

The Kodiak family is comprised of the Kodiak 100 Series III, introduced by Daher Aircraft in 2021, and the larger, faster Kodiak 900, which was unveiled in 2022. Kodiak is one of two turboprop-powered product lines in Daher Aircraft's portfolio, along with the fast, efficient TBM 980 and TBM 960.

Worldwide, the Kodiak fleet has accumulated more than 520,000 flight hours since entering service in 2008. North America is the largest market for the family, followed by Asia Pacific, Europe, South America and Africa.

Humanitarian and relief operations continue to reflect the Kodiak's original mission, while representing one part of its broad and expanding operational profile. The designed-in capability to operate from short, unimproved runways while transporting passengers, equipment and supplies makes the aircraft perfectly suited to remote and challenging environments.

Under Daher Aircraft's management, the Kodiak 100 and Kodiak 900 have gained significant momentum in the multi-mission market. Acquisitions by government and law enforcement agencies, conservation entities and other operators underscore the aircraft's combination of durability, flexibility and operating efficiency. In response to this demand, Daher Aircraft is stepping up its in-house integration capability for mission equipment to provide a more comprehensive offering for customers.

Kodiaks flown by tour operators and for-hire service providers comprise another important customer segment, with users in regions that include North America and Asia Pacific. Businesses and private owner/pilots also represent an active part of the Kodiak community.

Approximately 15 per cent of the in-service Kodiak 100s are equipped with floats, adding to the aircraft's operational flexibility for missions requiring water operations.