Engines
Daher-Socata mulls NTx powerplant decision
Daher, the French family-run firm that now owns Socata, is pressing ahead with investments to ensure the maker of the TBM 850 single turboprop is well-plac

Daher, the French family-run firm that now owns Socata, is pressing ahead with investments to ensure the maker of the TBM 850 single turboprop is well-placed when the business aviation market emerges from the current financial crisis–a recovery it believes could be 12 to 18 months away.

The manufacturer, which trades under the name Daher-Socata, will invest almost $330 million to develop an eight- to 10-seat twin-engine aircraft to offer in the market segment above the TBM 850. The so-called NTx program was launched at the 2008 NBAA convention, but Daher-Socata still has not decided whether its powerplant would be a turboprop or jet. It will certainly offer more payload than the TBM 850 and will be suitable for more varied applications, including government special missions.

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