Say what you will about Diamond Aircraft, but they are continually creating new GA products. This unveiled at Friedrichshafen, Germany this week...a 450 SHP nonpressurized single engine turboprop, the DA50.

Must be the clipped wing model. I bet it would do good at Reno.

That thing wouldn't even pass my pre-flight.

Actually, they have not created a new product since the DA42. What they have created are lots of mockups and 'innovative projects' (the technical term is 'harebrained shemes'). The owner of the company seems to have a vision to change everything in how GA aircraft are propelled, his first attempt at doing so fell flat on its face. The second attempt is still limping along. I am afraid this new idea will have a similar uphill climb. Rather than developing a new airframe using an established entity for an engine (e.g. a RR250), they are trying to re-invent the wheel by having some soviet outfit adapt a helicopter engine for their purpose.

I like where they had to mount the engine to get the prop to clear. Just look around it. Who cares what's in front of you???

The DA 50 was originaly a piston.

Why an unproven Ukraine engine when the RR500 is available?

The only info I found on this engine is used in Helicopter and APU.
Its light at 115 kgs.


AI-450M Gas-Turbine Turboshaft Engine
The AI-450M engine is designed to power multi-purpose helicopters and has a two-rotor design consisting of a gas generator rotor and free turbine rotor. The free turbine transmits power to the reduction gear, arranged in front of the engine, through the shaft passing inside the gas generator rotor shaft. The engine consists of reduction gear with accessory gearbox built in the same casing; gas generator containing inlet section, compressor, combustion chamber and compressor turbine; free turbine with its shaft.
Each rotor is mounted on two bearing supports built in the engine stator. To obtain the required engine vibration characteristics the gas generator rotor front bearing support and free turbine rear rotor bearing support are carried on elastic-oil dampers.
SPECIFICATIONS
ÀI-450Ì* ÀI-450Ì1*1
30-min OEI rating
(Í=0, Ìfl=0):
Power, hp ................................ 400*2 ...................... 465*2
to ISA +25°Ñ to ISA +15°Ñ
Take-off rating (Í=0, Ìfl=0):
Power, hp ................................. 400 .................... 465 to ISA +15°Ñ to ISA
Specific fuel
consumption, kg/hp·h ............... 0.28 ................... 0.27
Cruise rating (Í=0, Ìfl=0, ISA+15°C):
Power, hp ................................. 285 .................... 300 Specific fuel
consumption, kg/hp·h ............. 0.32 ................... 0.31
Dry mass, kg ................................................ 115
* Rearward power output version
*1 Forward power output version
*2 Depending on Automatic Control System adjustment version
Motor Sich JSC
Zaporozhye 69068, Ukraine 15, Motorostroiteley av.
Tel.: (+38061) 720-48-14 Fax: (+38061) 720-50-05 Å-mail: eo.vtf@motorsich.com
motor@motorsich.com http:\\www.motorsich.com

Diamond CEO Christian Dries gave a quick tour of the DA50 Turbine, a beefy looking single turboprop that capitalizes on the fuselage design used first in a piston version proposed a few years ago and now finding application in the DA52 diesel twin. The DA50, which Dries says hasn't flown yet and is just entering the proof of concept phase, is powered by a 450-HP AI-450S turboshaft engine built by the Ukrainian company Motor Sich JSC. When the Soviet Union still existed, Motor Sich built engines for the prodigious Mil line of military helicopters and the An-124 commercial transport. Dries said the company has entered into an agreement to develop markets for western application of the engines and that the initial focus, if the project comes together, will be a heavy hauling aircraft for unimproved airports in Russia. Dries said a mid-altitude high-speed cruiser version might be pitched to western buyers, with cruise altitudes typically in the high teens. The aircraft would not be pressurized.

Maybe it'll end up being $500K. If so, it would make waves.

$$$$$$

Actually, I guess EEEEEEE (Euros).

I'd love to see any of the Diamond mock ups they bring to Aero get made. They all look great but never appear in real life.
If I was Diamond the Pipistrel Panthera would make me very nervous. I would retool the Da40 to try to keep up with that.
Diamond makes great planes.

They should turn their focus on being more innovative with their cash flow.....

Things I have no interest in flying on top of:
Russian rockets

Things I have no interest in flying in:
Russian aircraft

Things I have no interest in flying behind:
Russian engines

Things I have no problem sitting in as long as they are installed in a Western aircraft with Western engines:
Russian ejection seats.

They seem to be doing better than Beech in this regard, and selling more planes.

Why was Diamond not at Oshkosh?

I give them credit for experimenting. There were lots of of experiments before Beech finalized the 35 also, including a twin with one engine mounted above the other iirc. Beechcraft corp needs some Chinese money to test some new concepts.