As announced in June, Brazil will be the new production site for Austrian business aircraft. The investment is estimated at around R$300 million reais (US$60 million) and will create up to 1,300 jobs in the region.
Founded in Austria in 1981 and controlled by China’s Wanfeng Aviation since 2017, Diamond Aircraft had announced in late June that its official representative in Brazil, Aeromot, will manufacture its aircraft under license. As InfoDiretas reports, the contract was officially signed this week.
The two companies stipulated that the plant would be built on a site in the city of Guaíba in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, capital of the Rio Grande do Sul state, that previously belonged to automaker Ford. The agreement was signed at a meeting in São Paulo.
Diamond began its history manufacturing gliders, but grew and diversified into single-engine and later twin-engine aircraft, and was the first company to use kerosene extensively for its piston aircraft.
The engines are manufactured by Austro, a subsidiary based on Mercedes-Benz diesel engines. In addition to this innovation, Diamond aircraft have a fuselage made of carbon fiber, which reduces weight and allows for a unique design.
Their extended wings, which resemble those of a glider, provide stable flight and very low drag.
All of the company’s twin engines use Austro turbocharged piston engines fueled by conventional aviation kerosene (JET A1) and also JP8, a military kerosene with additives prepared for use in afterburner fighter engines.
The twin-engine DA62 is to be produced in Brazil. There are no details yet on plans to build the plant and start production.