Piper Aircraft announced overnight that the US Federal Aviation Authority had approved the M700 Fury single-engine turbo-prop (SETP) for operations on unimproved runways.
The company said it believes this certification will broaden the M700's mission capabilities.
"The Fury’s performance was exceptional considering the FAA’s rigorous testing requirements for unpaved field certification," stated Ron Gunnarson, VP of Sales, Marketing & Customer Support at Piper Aircraft.
"The aircraft’s robust design and construction quality ensured seamless operations in all test conditions.
"The certification process was also smooth with the Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) flight test being completed in just one day."
Introduced in February this year and certified the following month, the M700 is a SETP introduced to the Piper range to replace the PA-46 M600/SLS.
Powered by a 700-shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-52 turbine swinging a five-blade Hartzell prop, the Fury has a top speed above 300 KTAS, making it the fastest single-engined Piper ever built. It is approved for operations up to 30,000 feet.
The aircraft is fitted with Garmin Emergency Autoland, G3000 avionics suite, auto throttle, Emergency Descent Mode, Electronic Stability Protection and Garmin PlaneSync.