Diamond DA42 Twin Star

DA42 Twin Star
Role	Light twin-engined utility and trainer aircraft Type of aircraft
National origin	Austria
Manufacturer	Diamond Aircraft Industries
First flight	9 December 2002
Introduction	2004
Status	In production[1]
Produced	2002–present
Number built	600+ (2010)[2]
Variants	Aeronautics Defense Dominator

The Diamond DA42 Twin Star is a four seat, twin engine, propeller-driven airplane developed and manufactured in Austria and Canada by Diamond Aircraft Industries, an Austrian subsidiary of China-based Wanfeng Aviation.^[3] It was Diamond's first twin engine design, as well as the first new European twin-engine aircraft in its category to be developed in over 25 years.^[4] In 2004, the DA42 became the first diesel-powered fixed-wing aircraft to perform a non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic.

By 2012, the DA42 had become a key revenue generator for the company, having gained popularity with government and military operators in addition to the civil market that had suffered as a result of the Great Recession. Government customers have typically employed the type in the aerial surveillance role, which contributed towards the development of the Aeronautics Defense Dominator, a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which had been derived from the DA42.