Piper announces historic fleet deal, diesel Seminole
Largest domestic trainer order Piper has taken
The deal, valued at around $155 million, marks the largest domestic trainer order in Piper’s history. The contract will initially include 145 aircraft deliveries over eight years beginning in 2027, with an optional two-year extension for up to 188 aircraft by 2036.
Piper also announced its new Piper Seminole DX, a diesel-powered PA–44 Seminole that features DeltaHawk’s DHK4A180 180-horsepower, heavy fuel, compression ignition engine. The DHK4A180 engine promises 40-percent better fuel efficiency, improved performance, and lower maintenance costs due to fewer moving parts. Piper began taking position reservations for the Seminole DX engine retrofit kit (including a Piper-owned supplemental type certificate) at the start of AirVenture. The company expects to offer it as a factory-fit option beginning with the 2027 model year, pending FAA certification of the type certificate.
Including the extension, the UND order is equivalent to almost a full year’s worth of Piper’s production for the Archer and Seminole. Piper shipped 182 Archer and Pilot 100i—a three seat, Garmin G3X Touch trainer on the same airframe as the Archer—units and 26 Piper Seminoles in 2024, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
The deal solidifies recent success for Piper, with the company reporting in 2024 the highest unit volume since 2001.
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