Piper Aircraft, Inc. has set the aviation world abuzz with the recent announcement of its latest addition to the esteemed PA46 line—the Piper M700 FURY. This cabin-class turboprop, powered by the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-52 engine, marks the inaugural step towards a new era in the M-Class family.
With a maximum cruise speed of 301 knots and range of 1,149 nautical miles (1,849 km), the M700 FURY stands as the fastest single-engine marvel in Piper’s illustrious 87-year, 134,000 unit production history. Surpassing its predecessor, the M600 SLS, the M700 FURY boasts exceptional take-off performance, with a class-leading take-off distance of 1,994 feet over a 50-foot obstacle, representing a remarkable 24 percent improvement.
The aircraft’s climb capabilities are equally noteworthy, featuring a climb rate of 2,048 feet per minute after a maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) departure—a remarkable 32 percent improvement over the M600. As it ascends to altitude, the M700 FURY reaches FL250 in just 13.9 minutes, 34 percent quicker than its predecessor M600, while burning only burning 97 lbs. of fuel, which is 25 percent less fuel than the M600 and nearly 50% less fuel than its single-engine jet competitors.
The airframe has been changed to accommodate the more powerful engine include a redesigned, more efficient intake plenum that improves ram air recovery, new engine mount assemblies and an improved exhaust stack design that maximizes residual thrust.
Incorporating Garmin’s cutting-edge G3000 avionics system, the M700 FURY offers a touchscreen-controlled glass flight deck, ensuring a sophisticated and intuitive flying experience. The inclusion of Garmin’s HALO Safety System, featuring Autoland technology, further enhances safety measures. Additionally, the aircraft retains Garmin’s PlaneSync technology, enabling advanced avionics capabilities and remote aircraft status checks.
The new model will retain Garmin’s PlaneSync technology, which includes a 4G LTE Cellular and WiFi datalink that enables new avionics capabilities to streamline an aircraft owner’s pre-flight and post-flight activities. Piper is also first-to-market with Garmin’s remote aircraft status capability enabling owners to remotely check the fuel quantity, aircraft location, oil temperature, battery voltage, the current METAR at the aircraft’s location and more via the Garmin Pilot application. PlaneSync technology also automatically downloads databases wirelessly while the aircraft is powered down and the owner is away from the aircraft.
Beyond its performance attributes, the M700 FURY presents a stylish and comfortable interior with six new schemes, showcasing thoughtfully crafted seats and leathers. Piper President and CEO John Calcagno expressed the aircraft’s appeal, stating, “The M700 FURY is a beautifully efficient, cross-country thoroughbred that gives our customers a performance-based flight experience with economics never seen before.”
Anticipating FAA certification by the end of Q1, 2024, with customer deliveries in those regions before the end of the year and International validations for Canada, EASA, the UK, and Brazil to be achieved in the second half of 2024, the M700 FURY is set to captivate aviation enthusiasts and corporate flight departments alike. As Piper Aircraft continues to push boundaries, the M700 FURY represents a pinnacle of innovation, setting the stage for a new era in high-performance aviation.