Daher plans to increase aircraft production this year to more than 60 TBM turboprop singles and more than 25 Kodiak utility turboprops, according to Nicolas Chabbert, the senior v-p of Daher’s aircraft division. Last year, the aircraft manufacturer delivered 56 TBM 910s and 960s from its Tarbes, France facility and 18 Kodiak 100s and 900s from its Sandpoint, Idaho plant. Backlog is now about two years for both product lines, Chabbert noted.
The 40 percent increase in Kodiak shipments will be facilitated by a recent reorganization of the Kodiak production layout in Sandpoint. Chabbert said parallel assembly lines have been introduced, with mirrored Kodiak 100/900 assembly from Stages 3 through 6. These stages cover wing and horizontal stabilizer mating, flight control integration and rigging, engine and avionics installation, first flight, interior outfitting, and customer delivery.
“These parallel assembly lines were developed using our internal resources,” explained Kerry Olson, Daher’s director of Kodiak operations and site leader at Sandpoint. “The parallel production came online ahead of schedule.”
The increased production capacity follows other improvements at Sandpoint, including a $2.7 million, 9,000-sq-ft aircraft painting facility.
To date, 330 Kodiak 100s and Kodiak 900s have been delivered to customers. The most recent Kodiak 900—the seventh to date—was handed over to a private owner last month. Chabbert said Kodiak 900 production is now on a cadence of one per month.
Meanwhile, Daher’s plans to augment TBM and Kodiak production at its Stuart, Florida aerostructures facility continue to move forward, according to Daher v-p of human resources for North America Christopher Gonzales. The company plans to begin construction of the combined TBM and Kodiak production facility later this year, with TBM assembly expected to first come online in late 2025 or early 2026.