The SOCATA TBM (now Daher TBM) is a family of high-performance single-engine turboprop business and utility light aircraft manufactured by Daher. It was originally collaboratively developed between the American Mooney Airplane Company and French light aircraft manufacturer SOCATA.
The design of the TBM family originates from the Mooney 301, a comparatively low-powered and smaller prototype Mooney developed in the early 1980s. Following Mooney's acquisition by French owners, Mooney and SOCATA started a joint venture for the purpose of developing and manufacturing a new, enlarged turboprop design, which was designated as the TBM 700. Emphasis was placed upon the design's speed, altitude, and reliability. Upon its entry onto the market in 1990, it was the first high-performance single-engine passenger/cargo aircraft to enter production.
Shortly after launch, the TBM 700 was a market success, which led to the production of multiple variants and improved models, often incorporating more powerful engines and new avionics. The TBM 850 is the production name assigned to the TBM 700N, an improved version of the aircraft powered by a single Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66D. In March 2014, an aerodynamically refined version of the TBM 700N, marketed as the TBM 900, was made available.
Development Origins In the early 1980s, the Mooney Airplane Company of Kerrville, Texas designed a six-seat pressurized light aircraft, powered by a single piston engine, which they designated the Mooney 301. On 7 April 1983, the prototype 301 conducted its maiden flight.Simpson, Rob. "TBM 850: EADS Socata challenges the Very Light Jets". Air International, February 2006, Vol 70 No 2, pp. 28–31. /, p. 28-29.
During 1985, the Mooney Aircraft Company was acquired by new French owners, who promptly took an interest in the further development of the fledgling 301.Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1988. Coinciding with the company's acquisition, French light aircraft manufacturer SOCATA, who had identified a vacant market position for a purpose-built optimised single-engine aircraft capable of fast personal transport and light cargo duties, identified the piston-powered 301 as a potential starting point to satisfy this niche.
Accordingly, talks soon commenced between Mooney and SOCATA on the subject of producing a turboprop-powered derivative of the 301. The product that emerged from these discussions was a new design, referred to as the TBM 700, which was considerably heavier than the original 301 while provisioned with more than twice the available power. The prefix of the designation, TBM, originated from the initials "TB", which stands for Tarbes, the French city in which SOCATA is located, while the "M" stands for Mooney. At the time of its conception, while several aviation companies had studied or were otherwise considering the development of such an aircraft, the envisioned TBM 700 was the first high-performance single-engine passenger/cargo aircraft to enter production. From the onset, key performance criteria were established for the design, demanding a high level of reliability while also being capable of an unequalled speed/altitude combination amongst the TBM 700 other single-engined peers.
Consequently, during June 1987, a joint venture, named TBM International, was established with the aim of completing development of the TBM 700 design and to perform the manufacture of the new aircraft; the ownership of the joint venture was divided between Mooney and SOCATA's parent company Aérospatiale. A pair of separate production lines for the TBM 700 were planned — one located at Mooney's facility in Kerrville, Texas, which was intended to cater to the American market, and the other based at SOCATA's factory in Tarbes, which was set to produce aircraft for customers throughout the rest of the world. However, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Mooney was afflicted by persistent fiscal shortfalls; consequently, in May 1991, Mooney chose to withdraw from participation in the joint venture, leaving SOCATA as the primary company involved in the program.
On 14 July 1988, the first TBM 700 prototype conducted its maiden flight. Flight testing proved that virtually all of the established goals of the design had been achieved, leading to quick progress towards production. On 31 January 1990, type certification was received from French authorities; it was followed by the awarding of U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification on 28 August 1990. During early 1990, the first delivery of a TBM 700 occurred; the first production batch of 50 aircraft were sold out almost instantly. Early feedback received from operators and pilots was typically positive regarding the capabilities of the new aircraft, with the speed and generous power margins, amongst other attributes, specially noted.
Further development According to the aerospace publication Flying, while the TBM 700 had rapidly proved popular on the market and a good aircraft on its own merits, the services and support facilities SOCATA provided for the aircraft were an initial point of weakness. Early on, customers were often faced with lengthy delays in acquiring spare parts and other services; negative feedback on the after sales support for the TBM 700 has been attributed as the cause of a downturn in sales during the 1990s. SOCATA, recognising the critical importance of an effective support infrastructure, decided to invest heavily in improving worldwide support for the type; instead of being solely reliant upon third parties and partnership arrangements with other companies, the firm developed its own facilities. SOCATA opened its own service center in Florida, as well as establishing a network of distributors capable of both sales and services for the TBM 700. Consequently, during the late 1990s, sales of the type within the North American market rose dramatically.
Early on, the TBM 700 was available in several different configurations and models. The introduction of the TBM 700C2, which increased the maximum takeoff weight from , enabled operators to fly with both fully laden fuel tanks and maximum cabin occupancy instead of compromising between the two due to weight restrictions. The modifications made upon this model included the addition of a baggage compartment aft of the rear pressure bulkhead, the strengthening of the wing and landing gear, and seat crashworthiness certification for up to 20 G to accommodate for an elevated stall speed at higher weights. Around the same time, SOCATA decided to re-design the interior of the aircraft, including the fittings and finish, along with the adoption of a new integrated environmental control system, to improve passenger comfort levels.
The TBM 850 is the production name for the TBM 700N, an improved version of the aircraft powered by a single Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66D engine, which is flat rated at . The TBM 850 is limited to for takeoff and landing; however, during cruise flight, the engine power can be increased to ; this extra power provides the aircraft with a higher cruising speed than the TBM 700 models, especially at high altitudes (due to the flat-rating). The outside appearance of the TBM 850 has remained similar to that of the standard TBM 700. The TBM 850 has a typical range of . Beginning with the 2008 model, the TBM 850 has been equipped with the Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck as standard equipment.
In 2014, an improved version of the aircraft, marketed as the TBM 900 was introduced, featuring 26 individual modifications, including the adoption of in-house-designed winglets, a redesigned air intake and the fitting of a five-blade Hartzell-built propeller, with the aim of delivering improved aerodynamics and performance. The adoption of a sharp strake, located forward and beneath the leading edge of the left wing, also provides for improved stall characteristics over the earlier TBM variants. According to aircraft publication Aviation Week, various subtle exterior changes were made for drag reduction purposes, including the addition of inner main landing gear doors, the re-contouring of the tail cone and of the engine nacelle.George, Fred. "Pilot Report: Daher Socata TBM 900." Aviation Week, 22 May 2014.
In comparison with the TBM 850, the TBM 900 is around faster in cruise flight, uses less fuel, requires less runway length, climbs faster, and produces noticeably less interior and exterior noise. This is partially due to the elimination of the limitation for takeoff present on previous TBM models; all of the PT6A-66D engine is normally available. In combination with a more efficient air inlet, which boosted the available torque and ram recovery, and reshaped exhaust stacks, which increased thrust output, makes the plane faster. According to Aviation Week, due to its greater speed, the TBM 900 can more effectively compete against light jets. Aviation Week observed that it is faster on a mission, and burns 26% less fuel than the Cessna Citation Mustang.
At the June 2018 Eurosatory, an ISR configuration with underwing hardpoints and electrical connections for sensors and aerial photography was offered for defense, security, medical evacuation and transport missions. Competing with heavier aircraft and MALE UAVs, it benefits from its short field performance and speed, offers six hours of surveillance and can be reconfigured for other duties. It was validated with a 110-pound (50-kg) camera and a multi-sensor optronics retractable turret, SAR/ground MTI radar, communication interception system, and secure transmission with a quick-change console for tactical situation monitoring.
In March 2019, Daher introduced the $4.13 million TBM 940 with autothrottle and automatic deicing, to be certified for the April AERO Friedrichshafen.
EcoPulse demonstrator
At the June 2019 Paris Air Show, Daher, Airbus and Safran teamed up to develop the TBM-based EcoPulse demonstrator for a hybrid electric aircraft. The project is kick-started by the French Civil Aviation Research Council (CORAC) with support from the French DGAC. Safran will provide the distributed hybrid propulsion system: turbogenerator, electric power management system and electric motors and propellers. Airbus will install the batteries and optimize the aerodynamics, and Daher will install components and systems, and will be responsible for the flight testing and overall analysis.
With half of the €22 million ($25 million) demonstration funded by the DGAC, the maiden flight is scheduled for the summer of 2022 before a hypothetical 2025-30 certification. The aircraft's existing engine will be supplemented by six Safran electric motors on the wings fed by a APU or batteries. Similar to the NASA X-57 Maxwell, the distributed propulsion reduces wingtip vortices and add low speed lift by blowing the wing, enabling a smaller, lower drag wing.
The high voltages required, over 500 volts, is a new challenge in aviation and special cables and protection were developed by Safran. After a year of testing, a follow-on commuter aircraft might be built by Daher. Airbus Defence and Space is developing the lithium-ion battery to be mounted on the fuselage underside, weighting for a power of . By May 2022, Daher was planning a maiden flight by the end of the year, beginning a 100 flights test programme over 18 to 24 months. By May 2023, the demonstrator had flown 15 hours with the electric propellers feathered, while the hybrid-electric powertrain was to be flight tested after June 2023. On 29 November, it made a first electric flight for 1h 40min from Tarbes, with its six electric motors powered by an Airbus 800-volt battery pack and a Safran turbogenerator.
Design