Diamond Executive Aviation (DEA) purchases third DA42 MPP (Multi Purpose Platform) and Diamond Airborne Sensing (DAS) provides further integration support.

The new aircraft will support DEA’s current MPP fleet in an ever widening series of operations for DEA’s existing partners and will also act as the lead aircraft for the proof of concept and deployment of a new DEA partner to be operational in February 2013.

“The new MPP, a DA42 GUARDIAN equipped with AE300 diesel engines, is a low conspicuity version that is painted in low reflectivity paint, has a low infra red signature design and special over the wing silencers to reduce noise and heat signatures further”, says Peter Bondar, CEO Diamond Executive Aviation.

As with all of DEA’s DA42 MPPs, the aircraft is intended to be multi-role, that is, being able to be re-rolled to support different DEA partner’s requests as required. However the new platform, initially, will be adapted to provide an ultra high resolution surveying capability for one of DEA’s new partners that will be announced early in 2013.

The aircraft will be officially handed over completed with its new mission equipment integrated in February 2013, at which time it will start initial evaluation trials with DEA’s new partner.

“DEA is one of our leading customers in Europe who really understands the idea of our “Multi Purpose Platform” concept. It is good to see that even in very hard times DEA has had the vision and cleverness to develop a new business. It is good fortune that the most efficient and environmental friendly airplane will provide missions to protect different future environmental programs. We are strongly looking forward to delivering the first DA42 GUARDIAN to DEA, which is ready to operate about 1,000 hours a year”, says Markus Fischer, Director Sales from Diamond Airborne Sensing GmbH.

The aircraft has been earmarked to support DEA’s bid for a European Space Agency (ESA) program to address the needs for a low cost, rapid response solution to the needs for airborne situational awareness and command control capabilities in the event of man made or natural disasters.

Source and photo: Diamond Aircraft