February 18, 2026, Sandpoint, Idaho \u2013 Daher Aircraft will make its first exhibitor appearance at the annual VERTICON show for vertical flight, highlighting the company\u2019s Kodiak 100 and Kodiak 900 as highly capable fixed-wing airplanes to complement helicopter fleets in support of law enforcement, public safety and government operators.<\/p>\n
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Exhibiting at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta during the March 10-12 event, Daher Aircraft is to highlight how its turboprop-powered Kodiak serves as a \u201cforce multiplier\u201d for helicopter-focused operations, significantly enhancing mission capability while reducing overall operational costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs agencies increasingly seek greater endurance, along with extended coverage and more adaptable missions, the Kodiak 100 and Kodiak 900 offer compelling solutions with their persistent surveillance capabilities,\u201d explained Nicolas Chabbert, the CEO of Daher Aircraft.<\/p>\n
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Daher acquired the multi-role Kodiak in 2019, making a long-term commitment to this product line by enhancing production resources at the Sandpoint, Idaho industrial facility\/ final assembly line; as well as significantly evolving and improving the airplane family \u2013 backed by reinforced customer support through a global network already established for the company\u2019s TBM turboprop-powered aircraft.<\/p>\n
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Since the acquisition, Daher Aircraft introduced the improved Series III variant of the cornerstone Kodiak 100 version, and launched the larger, faster Kodiak 900. The company also intensified its focus on multi-mission markets, including law enforcement and public service customers, supported by the development of in-house systems integration capabilities. Today, approximately one-third of annual Kodiak sales are to multi-mission customers.<\/p>\n
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The Kodiak\u2019s ability to accommodate a full range of equipment for its air support role is underscored by Daher\u2019s Kodiak 900 Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) demonstrator, integrating a wing strut-mounted system capable of supporting up to a 15-inch-class sensor turret, which is controlled from a full-scale operator\u2019s console in the cabin.<\/p>\n
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Kodiak 900 MMA operations that supported back-to-back felony arrests<\/p>\n
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Daher Aircraft validated the Kodiak 900 MMA\u2019s capabilities during an on-site briefing at a law enforcement agency in the western United States, which led to two felony arrests on the same day.<\/p>\n
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Paul Carelli, Daher Aircraft\u2019s Senior Director of Multi Missions and Business Development for the Americas, said this began when the visiting Daher Aircraft flight crew was asked to assist in an urgent call for support. Rapidly deploying with one of the agency\u2019s officers aboard the airplane, the Kodiak 900 MMA located the suspect vehicle within 52 seconds and maintained visual contact until the successful apprehension. Midway through this operation, the agency\u2019s own helicopter returned to its home base for refueling, while the Kodiak maintained uninterrupted surveillance.<\/p>\n
Later the same day, the Kodiak 900 MMA provided persistent overwatch during a high-speed vehicle pursuit involving a felony suspect. The Kodiak 900 MMA once again delivered precise visual support and tracking, remaining on-station when the agency\u2019s helicopter needed to break off for refueling.<\/p>\n
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The Kodiak 900 MMA\u2019s operating altitude at 7,000-10,000 feet during these two flights ensured its discretion, while reducing the need for complex airspace coordination that is typical of low altitude helicopter operations in congested metropolitan areas. The higher operating altitudes also enabled the Kodiak 900 MMA to fly over such areas as airport runway approach\/departure corridors, where the presence of rotorcraft often is restricted.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis experience was a real eye-opener for the law enforcement agency,\u201d Carelli added.<\/p>\n
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Excellent endurance and low hourly operating costs<\/p>\n
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The Kodiak aircraft family\u2019s endurance of seven to eight hours \u2013 and up to 9.5 hours in certain configurations \u2013 offers significantly longer on-station time than helicopters. Its excellent handling qualities throughout the flight envelope, particularly at slower speeds of 85-110 knots, are combined with a tight turning radius to provide a highly effective, steady platform that can be flown by aviators ranging from higher-time flight officers to those with less piloting experience.<\/p>\n
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From a cost perspective, the Kodiak offers meaningful advantages. Average direct operating costs are approximately $400 per hour, including fuel, with potential for lower costs under certain Part 91 maintenance programs. This is substantially less than the typical hourly expense for helicopters.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOperationally and economically, the Kodiak 100 and Kodiak 900 are extremely effective aircraft,\u201d Carelli said. \u201cThey provide agencies with extended surveillance capability at a fraction of the cost of helicopters, while integrating seamlessly into their existing aviation units\u2019 ground infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Daher Aircraft\u2019s expanding customer base of multi-mission operators<\/p>\n
During the VERTICON 2026 show, Daher Aircraft will outline the growing number of law enforcement and public service customers for the Kodiak aircraft family, including:<\/p>\n
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New York State Police: Acquiring four Kodiak 100s to join the agency\u2019s helicopter fleet beginning this summer, the aircraft will feature advanced mission equipment \u2013 including night vision capability;<\/p>\n
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Virginia State Police: Operating three Kodiak 100s within the agency\u2019s aviation unit, joining its helicopter resources;<\/p>\n
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Missouri Highway Patrol: In addition to its distinction of becoming the first Kodiak 900 multi-mission operator, the Highway Patrol\u2019s aircraft marked Daher’s initial in-house system integration for a public safety customer;<\/p>\n
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Maine Marine Patrol bureau: Equipped with amphibious floats for operations from both water and land, its Kodiak 100 is deployed in missions that vary from commercial fishing regulatory enforcement, maritime security details and search & rescue to the offshore monitoring of endangered Northern Right Whales.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
February 18, 2026, Sandpoint, Idaho \u2013 Daher Aircraft will make its first exhibitor appearance at the annual VERTICON show for vertical flight, highlighting the company\u2019s Kodiak 100 and Kodiak 900 as highly capable fixed-wing airplanes to complement helicopter fleets in support of law enforcement, public safety and government operators. Exhibiting at the Georgia World […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5192,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5190\/revisions\/5192"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}