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The SOCATA TBM700 (also marketed as the TBM850 and TBM900) is a high performance single-engine turboprop light business and utility aircraft manufactured by SOCATA. An aerodynamically refined version of the 700 N is marketed as the TBM900 from March 2014.
In the early 1980s, the Mooney Airplane Company of Kerrville, Texas designed a six-seat pressurised light aircraft powered by a single 360 hp (268 kW) piston engine, the Mooney 301, which made its maiden flight on 7 April 1983. Mooney was purchased by French owners in 1985, which resulted in talks between Mooney and the French company Socata to build a turboprop derivative of the 301. The result of these discussions was the TBM 700, which was much heavier than the 301 with more than twice the power, with a joint venture, TBM International, being set up in June 1987 between Mooney and Socata's parent company Aérospatiale to design and build the new aircraft. In the designation TBM, "TB" stands for Tarbes, the city in France in which Socata is located, the "M" stands for Mooney.
The TBM 700 is a single-engined turboprop, six to seven-seat low-wing monoplane of mainly aluminium and steel construction, but with the tail surfaces built of Nomex honeycomb. It has a retractable tricycle landing gear and is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-64 engine delivering 700 shp (522 kW). The first prototype TBM 700 made its maiden flight on 14 July 1988, with French certification following on 31 January 1990 and US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification achieved on 28 August 1990.
It was planned that two production lines be set up, one at Kerrville to cater for the American market and the other at Socata's factory at Tarbes to build aircraft for the rest of the world. A shortage of money resulted in Mooney withdrawing from the project in May 1991. The TBM 700 also comes in a cargo variant.
The TBM 850 is the production name for the TBM 700N, an improved version with the more powerful Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66D engine flat rated at 850 shp (634 kW). The TBM 850 is limited to 700 shp (522 kW) for takeoff and landing, but in cruise flight the engine power can be increased to 850 shp (634 kW). This extra power gives it a higher cruising speed than the TBM 700 models, especially at high altitudes (due to the flat-rating). The outside appearance of the TBM 850 has remained the same as that of the TBM 700. The TBM 850 has a typical range of 1,520 nautical miles (2,820 km).
Beginning with the 2008 model, the TBM 850 is equipped with the Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck as standard equipment.
Introduced in 2014, the TBM 900 is an improved version with 26 modifications including winglets, a redesigned air intake and a 5-blade propeller, for better aerodynamic and performance.
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