Story ID: 352
TBM 700 Re-engining Program Advances at Blackhawk
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: Flight testing is validating performance improvements
Word Count: 281
Blackhawk Aerospace has achieved first flight of a Daher TBM 700 retrofitted with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D engine and completed baseline flight testing for its re-engining supplemental type certificate (STC) program. The engine upgrade will bring the TBM 700 to similar performance capabilities as the TBM 850.
During the initial flight, the testbed airplane—N590JL, serial number 306—“achieved higher speeds and altitudes than previous models, validating the engine's improved performance using the existing certified components,” according to Blackhawk. The STC development and flight testing is taking place at Blackhawk’s Waco, Texas headquarters.
The upgrade replaces the TBM 700’s original PT6A-64 engine, which produces 1,583 equivalent shp, with the 1,825-eshp PT6A-66D, although the engines are flat-rated to 700 and 850 shp, respectively.
Further flight testing is underway, and Blackhawk is collaborating with Pratt & Whitney Canada, Hartzell Propeller, and MT propeller to “further refine performance metrics,” according to Blackhawk. “In the first flight, the aircraft achieved higher speeds and altitudes than previous models, validating the engine's improved performance using the existing certified components.”
The next steps in the STC program include detailed performance testing and specific inlet and propeller evaluations, with the goal of achieving the STC in the second quarter of next year. Blackhawk said it has already “received multiple deposits securing delivery positions and continues to accept deposits for 2025 and 2026 deliveries.”
“This first-flight milestone represents a key advancement in our STC program, bringing increased power, performance, and sustainability to TBM 700 owners,” said Edwin Black, president of Blackhawk Aerospace. “The PT6A-66D engine will redefine the aircraft’s capabilities and offer substantial benefits to operators.”