Diamond Aircraft, Austrian manufacturer of the highly successful single engined DA20 and DA42 twin, is rumoured to be planning a six-seat civilian tilt rotor aircraft with a take-off weight of around three tonnes.
Details and images are sketchy on the as yet unnamed project, as it is believed the aircraft would be developed in partnership with another major aviation company, which is not keen to release too much until a planned feasibility study is complete.
But early rumours suggest the Diamond tiltrotor would be a high-wing quadrotor design with wings at both front and rear of the fuselage. A rotor diameter of around 3.4 metres would mean the engines could swivel between forward and upward facing without impacting the ground, giving the tiltrotor the ability to land conventionally.
Diamond’s concept is also novel in proposing a hybrid powerplant, using a diesel or gas turbine engine to generate electricity, with the propellors driven directly by electric motors.
A six-seat tiltrotor with a maximum takeoff weight around 40 percent of that of the AgustaWestland AW609 would carve a new niche for itself in the marketplace. But as the partner company is partly funding the project, it will have a say in whether or not the aircraft goes ahead.
We can only wait and see whether this intriguing design makes it off the CAD program.