Diamond Aircraft Industries
 |
|
| GmbH | |
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Predecessor | HOAC |
| Founded | 1981 in Friesach, Carinthia |
| Founder | Wolf Hoffmann |
| Headquarters | Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria, Austria |
|
Key people
|
Christian Dries (CEO) |
| Products | Aircraft, Simulators |
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Number of employees
|
2,000 (2009) |
| Website | www.diamond-air.at |
Diamond Aircraft Industries is an Austrian-based manufacturer of general aviation aircraft and motor gliders. It is the third largest manufacturer of aircraft for the general aviation sector, and had a global presence; possessing its own manufacturing facilities in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria and in London, Ontario, Canada, as well as further production lines operated as joint ventures in other nations, such as China.
The company was established by Austrian aircraft designer Wolf Hoffmann in 1981, at which point it was known as Hoffmann Flugzeugbau. The firm quickly set about establishing production of its initial aircraft, a motor glider initially known as the HK36 Dimona. This aircraft proved to be a commercial success, leading to improved models and further types of aircraft being derived from it. Following several changes in ownership and naming, the company received the name Diamond Aircraft Industries in 1998. By this point, Diamond was producing a range of light aircraft, including the Dimona, the Diamond DA20, and the in-development Diamond DA40.
In 2004, Diamond introduced its first multi-engined aircraft, the Diamond DA42 Twin Star. The Twin Star would be popular with both a civil and government operators; demand from the latter led to the development of the Aeronautics Defense Dominator, a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used for aerial surveillance duties. For several years, the company was engaged in the development of a single-engined very light jet aircraft, known as the Diamond D-Jet, intended for both private and military customers alike. However, as a consequence of the Great Recession, funding became scarce and work on the D-Jet's development was eventually terminated during early 2013.
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Wikipedia