At NBAA-BACE 2025 in Las Vegas, Daher was pointing out how well its Kodiak line of turboprop singles works for law enforcement and forestry service applications. But it also said its flagship TBM 960 turboprop is earning a reputation for being good at helping to fight fires.
Conair Aerial Firefighting, known for its use of the Air Tractor AT802 Fire Boss, recently purchased two new Daher TBM 960 models for its fleet as a step for modernizing its surveillance aircraft used for monitoring fire activity, assessing fire risk, and strategizing air tanker drops. In other words, the new Fire Boss. One of the benefits is the TBM 960’s speed, which moves along at a good enough clip to keep up with larger firefighting tankers. It can also fly low and slow, guiding larger tankers to areas that need water drops. The airplane is versatile enough to serve multiple roles, including mapping and search-and-rescue ops.
The TBM 960, with its PT6E-66XT with single-lever digital engine control, has a maximum cruise speed of 330 knots, a 1446-pound maximum payload, and a 1730 nautical mile range. Daher said the TBM 960 aircraft are retrofitted by Conair with specialized avionics and equipment specific to wildfire operations for deploying as Air Attack lead planes, or “birddogs.” Both of Conair’s TBM 960 Air Attack aircraft operate with a government agency air attack officer in the right seat and a Conair pilot in the left.
