Aircraft
Reims introduces new turboprop twin
France’s Reims Aviation, one of the few remaining independent aircraft manufacturers and structure subcontractors in Europe, last month launched the F406 M

France’s Reims Aviation, one of the few remaining independent aircraft manufacturers and structure subcontractors in Europe, last month launched the F406 Mark II turboprop twin, which has upgraded avionics, increased endurance and better hot-and-high performance than its predecessor, the Mark I. The Mark II is to fly late next year, with certification expected for mid-2003 before delivery to the Daihyaku Shoji company, Reims Aviation’s launch customer and its exclusive distributor in Japan.

Both the current Mark I and upcoming Mark II retain the same fuselage as the original F406, but while the former, which has been in operation for 15 years, uses two 500-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-112 engines, the new-generation F406 is powered by two 635-shp PT6A-135As. The new version has four propeller blades, one more than its predecessor, and has an extra hour of endurance (seven hours).

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