DIAMOND AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES GmbH

Company formed 1981 in Friesach, Carinthia, southern Austria, as Hoffman Flugzeugbau GmbH; re-formed after August 1984 bankruptcy as Hoffman Aircraft Ltd, subsidiary of Simmering-Graz-Pauker AG; relocated to new facility at Wiener Neustadt 1987; name HOAC Austria Flugzeugwerk Wiener Neustadt GmbH adopted 1990 after 1989 management buyout; renamed Diamond Aircraft Industries GmbH March 1996 and achieved JAR 21 design approval in 2001.
Factory expanded to 5,200 m² (56,000 sq ft) of floor space in 1996 to accommodate wider model range, increase production levels and provide new research and maintenance facilities. Ground broken for further 5,200 m² (56,000 sq ft) plant in May 2003. Workforce 160. Current products include the HK 36 Super Dimona/Katana Xtreme and refurbished DV 20 Katana 100. Diamond Aircraft Corporation produces the two-seat DA20 in Canada; the four-seat DA40 Star became available in 2000 and deliveries of production aircraft accelerated in 2001. DA40-TDI certified and DA42 Twin Star launched in 2002, and D-JET announced in early 2003.
Diamond announced in May 2002 that it is to expand aircraft production into Germany, initially by building Super Dimonas at plant funded in part by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern regional government. Having achieved sales of 1,700 aircraft up to the end of 2000, Diamond gained a further 176 (including Canada) in 2001, 201 in 2002 and was projecting 265,391 and 540 in the years up to 2005.
Diamond acquired UK rotary engine manufacturer MidWest Engines in 1994, but acquisition not announced until Aero' 03 show at Friedrichshafen in April 2003, under new company name Diamond Engines. Plans then announced for manufacture of GAE 50R and GIAE 110R Wankel-type rotary engines, last-named to be installed in new DA20-110W variant of the DA20 Katana.