Intracom GM-17 Viper
Intracom General Machinery · Switzerland · first flew 2000 · light aircraft
The GM-17 Viper was a single-turboprop conversion of the pressurised Piper PA-31P Navajo, aimed at executive, medevac and light-utility roles.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turboprop, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 10.56 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single nose turboprop on a former twin-piston Navajo airframe
- Five-blade reversing propeller
- Clean bare wings with no engine nacelles
The giveaway is a single nose-mounted turboprop on an airframe that once carried two wing-mounted piston engines, leaving the wings clean and free of nacelles. It drives a five-blade reversing propeller. The pressurised Navajo cabin is retained with executive seating.
Specifications
- The Intracom GM-17 Viper has a length of 10.56 m (35 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 13.04 m (43 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 430 km/h (267 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Commissioned by the Swiss firm Intracom General Machinery and designed by a Russian engineering team, the prototype first flew in 2000. The concept turned surplus twin-piston Navajos into single-engine turboprops. Ambitious plans called for dozens of conversions by the middle of the decade.
Variants
In practice only prototype and demonstrator airframes were completed. There was no production series or family of sub-variants. Later aircraft flew in 2003 before the effort faltered.
Where you'll see it
The Viper never entered genuine service and had no UK relevance. Flight-safety concerns and the withdrawal of Russian partners led to the programme being abandoned. Only a few airframes were ever registered.
Related aircraft
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