
The use of Daher’s TBM and Kodiak aircraft families for multi-mission tasks has grown with the delivery of two new TBM 960s, which will serve as "Birddog" planes for Conair Group Inc.'s wildfire fighting operations.

Conair's choice of the TBM 960, after thoroughly analyzing 50 different aircraft types, represents the first use of the TBM in wildfire air attack operations. This involves the aircraft's ongoing deployment over a fire to observe the affected area, evaluate risks, and plan air tanker water or retardant drops.

Conair highlights several benefits in selecting the pressurized, turboprop-powered TBM 960, including the aircraft's excellent performance, contemporary design standards, cutting-edge technology, high reliability, and robust support from Daher, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

Conair received its first TBM 960 from Daher Aircraft's production facility and TBM final assembly line in Tarbes, France, last October, with the second aircraft delivered this month.


“Conair can count on the full resources of our Daher Care support organization, along with the backing from our extensive multi-mission expertise that we’ve acquired through operations of the TBM and Kodiak aircraft families around the world,” explained Nicolas Chabbert, CEO of the Daher Aircraft division.
Due to the demanding nature of wildfire air attack missions, the TBM 960 offers significant safety and situational awareness advantages for Conair’s operations, including Daher’s digital TBM e-copilot® technology, which provides electronic stability, under-speed protection, and an emergency descent mode; the EPECS single-lever, dual-channel digital control for managing the engine and propeller; an advanced Doppler radar system that identifies lightning and turbulence; and the HomeSafe™ emergency autoland system of the aircraft.


Matt Bradley, Conair’s President & CEO, stated: “We are planning for our future by selecting the TBM 960 in the modernization of our Birddog fleet. Modernizing with the TBM 960 ensures our birddog aircraft aren’t grounded when needed the most due to a lack of spare parts, increased maintenance, or obsolescence.”

Conair is upgrading its TBM 960 aircraft with specialized avionics and equipment for wildfire missions, allowing them to offer tactical and strategic guidance for aerial firefighting aircraft operating above wildfires. In the 2025 fire season, both TBM 960s will be stationed in Canada, with a government agency Air Attack Officer in the right seat and a Conair pilot in the left. The Air Attack Officer coordinates with all pilots of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft engaged in aerial firefighting, as well as with ground crews, to ensure safe and effective operations.


Mike Benson, the Director of Business Development at Conair, said the company’s legacy fleet of Birddog aircraft is reaching the end of their lifespans given the demanding conditions in which they operate on a continuous basis, including turbulence, heat, smoke and fluctuating elevations. “The new TBM 960s offer key advantages for aerial firefighting response. They are fast, keeping pace with large air tankers; offer superior visibility, providing crews with the ability to observe aircraft in crowded airspace; are able to fly low and slow, showing air tankers where to place drops on a wildfire; and can be converted into multi-role platforms if desired by our government agency partners – incorporating the technologies used to map wildfires or provide search & rescue capability.” Benson added.

Conair’s TBM 960 Birddog duties will build on the TBM aircraft family’s proven multi-mission applications, which include military/government transportation and liaison, along with flight test support and aerial cinematography – both of which benefit from the ability to install payloads on the aircraft’s two underwing hardpoints.

The other turboprop-powered aircraft in Daher’s product line, the unpressurized Kodiak utility aircraft, is used extensively around the globe in multi-mission duties that range from humanitarian flights, environmental monitoring, medical evacuation and law enforcement to firefighting support, public safety and parachute operations.

At Daher Aircraft’s Sandpoint, Idaho facility, two versions of the Kodiak are being produced: the foundational Kodiak 100 and the extended fuselage Kodiak 900. Both models feature STOL (short takeoff and landing) capabilities for use on off-airport locations and backcountry strips, as well as extended loiter times. The Kodiak 100 is also designed to be equipped with floats for operations on both land and water. Currently, around 100 aircraft from the Kodiak 100 and Kodiak 900 families are employed for various missions worldwide, accumulating a total of approximately 35,000 flight hours annually in these roles.

By December 31, 2024, a total of 1,243 TBM and 365 Kodiak aircraft had been delivered to owners and operators worldwide, with this international fleet amassing almost three million flight hours.
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