Daher’s Kodiak aircraft family expands its reach in multi-mission applications

Designed originally for humanitarian duties in far-flung corners of the world, the Kodiak has benefited from Daher’s acquisition of this aircraft product line in 2019 – with the company applying its strategy of continuous improvement, industrial investment, customer support and mission-system integration for the single-engine turboprop-powered airplane family.

Kodiaks are built at the Daher Aircraft division’s U.S. industrial facility in Sandpoint, Idaho, with the airplanes backed by the company’s global network of customer support service centers.

Law enforcement: a fast-growing Kodiak market segment

An increasingly important customer base for Kodiak is with law enforcement agencies, based on attributes that include the airplane’s endurance (up to 10 hours), its excellent handling qualities, especially at low flight speeds (with resistance to aerodynamic stalls and spins), and the short takeoff and landing capabilities (enabling the aircraft to operate away from airport locations, making it ideal for rural and off-grid emergency operations.).

Another highly valuable quality is the Kodiak’s ability to perform surveillance from altitudes higher than the helicopters typically used in law enforcement, while still being able to fly “tight” surveillance patterns over an area of interest.

“Helicopters often are detected at ground level because of their noise while operating at lower altitudes,” explained Paul Carelli, the Daher Aircraft division’s Senior Director of Multi-Mission Aircraft and Business Development for the Americas. “The Kodiak enables us to remain unseen and unheard from our higher altitude vantage point – typically at 5,000 feet and above – giving law enforcement the upper hand without interference. Also, helicopters often must operate in congested lower airspace, and their crews must constantly coordinate with air traffic control, which makes operations more complex.”

Adding to the Kodiak’s advantages are its lower operating costs as an efficient fixed-wing airplane when compared to helicopters.

 

Among the newest U.S. law enforcement customers is the Virginia State Police.

This agency is introducing three Kodiak 100s during 2025 for operations from the Aviation Division’s Lynchburg, Virginia air base, which handles the department’s largest number of search and rescue operations, as well as other law enforcement flights. In a moving tribute to one of the Virginia State Police’s fallen officers, the no. 2 Kodiak 100’s aircraft “N” registration was changed to: N876VA, honoring the badge number “876” of Trooper Lucas Dowell, who was shot during a narcotics investigation.

 

Other agencies that have joined the Kodiak operator base are the New York State Police, with four Kodiak 100s for law enforcement, search & rescue, border security and MEDEVAC (medical evacuation) operations; along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which is the initial customer for the Kodiak 900 law-enforcement variant.

 

Environmental and maritime applications: on land and at sea

The Kodiak’s capability to operate from both land and water (the Kodiak 100 can be equipped with floats) opens opportunities for the aircraft family’s deployment in maritime and environmental missions.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service utilizes Kodiak 100s as “tundra-to-tropics workhorses,” performing observation flights from the southern U.S. prairies to the Arctic Ocean in conducting some of the world’s largest and most reliable wildlife surveys. The airplanes also are used for other valuable public services such as natural disaster assessment and disaster relief.

This service’s best-known wildlife assessment is the springtime waterfowl population and habitat survey, performed annually by the U.S. government agency in conjunction with the Canadian Wildlife Service. Since the 1950s, such surveys have been an important part of the science-based efforts to determine the status of North America’s waterfowl populations. For these missions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service benefits from the Kodiak’s short takeoff and landing characteristics, and its ability to be equipped with amphibious floats for water and land operations.

 

The flights are performed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s dual-function wildlife biologist/pilots, such as Garrett Wilkerson. “The Kodiak is a joy to fly, I love it!” Wilkerson commented, based on his hundreds of hours operating the aircraft. “With our mission, we fly slow in order to maximize our time observing the waterfowl. The Kodiak does great: 150 feet above the ground and at 85-90 knots airspeed, the Kodiak provides a stable and consistent flying experience – all day long.”

 

In the U.S. state of Maine, a float-equipped Kodiak 100 acquired by the Maine Marine Patrol has one atypical mission: offshore monitoring of the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.

The aircraft also is deployed in support of recreational boating safety, the enforcement of commercial fishing regulations, maritime security and search & rescue missions.

 

 

Emergency services

The Kodiak is perfectly suited for air ambulance duties, based on its cost-effectiveness vs. the older twin-engine airplanes typically used in such missions, along with its large cargo/passenger door, the low cabin height for patient loading and roll-on/roll-off stretcher capability, and the ability to operate from smaller regional airports with short runways.

 

One operator is the Airborne Flying Service, an air charter company providing air medical operations from the state of Arkansas since 2016.

« The Kodiak 100 was a very deliberate choice after considering a full range of options, having made detailed analyses on capabilities and costs for new and used aircraft in single- and twin-engine versions, » explained JB Kirk, the President of Airborne Flying Service. « Safety is the most important element of every flight we perform, and the Kodiak 100 fully meets our needs – especially at night and in bad weather – because it is simple and easy to use. Additionally, the PT6A-34 turboprop engine is a ‘bulletproof’ powerplant based on its proven reliability. »

 

The all-around performer

From law enforcement and maritime surveillance to wildlife monitoring and emergency airlift, the Kodiak airplane family continues to prove its value as a trusted, durable, and versatile platform – one that consistently delivers across some of the most demanding real-world applications.

 

As Nicolas Chabbert, CEO of the Daher Aircraft division, concluded: Kodiak is built for environments where mission success truly matters.”

Learn more about Daher’s Kodiak aircraft family: Kodiak Today