Daher Aircraft delivers the 400th Kodiak, underscoring this airplane family's expanding global reach and mission versatility

Daher Aircraft has delivered the 400th Kodiak, marking a significant achievement for the multi-role airplane family as its customer base continues to expand across government, commercial, business and private aviation operations. The milestone airplane was a Kodiak 100 Series III delivered to a Canadian customer from Daher Aircraft's production facility in Sandpoint, Idaho. Since acquiring the Kodiak program in 2019, Daher Aircraft has continually developed the airplane family by broadening the product line, introducing design improvements and enhancing the production capabilities.
 
Nicolas Chabbert, Daher Aircraft’s CEO commented: "The 400th Kodiak represents an important achievement for an airplane that has expanded far beyond its original purpose of supporting the humanitarian sector. 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. Our success with these efforts is reflected in the marketplace," Chabbert added. "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 organization – which also supports more than 1,300 TBMs, as well as the 3,000 legacy airplanes built by Daher Aircraft’s 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 – unveiled in 2022. Kodiak is one of two turboprop-powered airplane 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 airplane family, followed by Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America and Africa.
 
Serving an expanding range of operators
 
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.
 
Designed for practical utility
 
Contributing to the Kodiak’s all-around capabilities are its Garmin G1000 NXi fully integrated flight deck and modern avionics, along with Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI) qualification with the TKS ice protection system. Propulsion is provided by Pratt & Whitney Canada’s proven PT6A-series turboprop powerplant. Kodiak’s handling characteristics benefit from the wing’s unique discontinuous leading-edge design – combining two high-performance airfoils that work together to maintain predictable controllability at slow-speeds, as well as resistance to aerodynamic stalls.
 
Loading flexibility is facilitated by the large pallet-sized cargo door, which enables the airplane to accommodate oversized cargo after a quick-change removal of the passenger seats. Together with two separate crew doors and a cabin designed for rapid reconfiguration, the Kodiak can transition efficiently between passenger, cargo and mixed-role operations.
 
For passenger flights and executive/VIP operations, the Kodiak’s large, high-mounted windows offer excellent outward visibility, and everyone has a window seat. The cargo pod – available for the Kodiak 100 and integrated into the Kodiak 900 – incorporates multiple compartments separated by internal bulkheads that enable baggage and supplies to be organized while minimizing movement during flight. Approximately 15 percent of the in-service Kodiak 100s are equipped with floats, adding to the aircraft's operational flexibility for missions requiring water operations.