Diamond Aircraft Industries

The company was established by Austrian aircraft designer Wolf Hoffmann in 1981, at which point it was known as Hoffmann Flugzeugbau. The firm quickly set about establishing production of its initial aircraft, a motor glider initially known as the HK36 Dimona. This aircraft proved to be a commercial success, leading to improved models and further types of aircraft being derived from it. Following several changes in ownership and naming, the company received the name Diamond Aircraft Industries in 1998. By this point, Diamond was producing a range of light aircraft, including the Dimona, the Diamond DA20, and the in-development Diamond DA40.

In 2004, Diamond introduced its first multi-engined aircraft, the Diamond DA42 Twin Star. The Twin Star became popular with both civil and government operators; demand from the latter led to the development of the Aeronautics Defense Dominator, a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used for aerial surveillance duties. For several years, the company was engaged in the development of a single-engined very light jet aircraft, known as the Diamond D-Jet, intended for both private and military customers. However, as a consequence of the Great Recession, funding became scarce and work on the D-Jet's development was eventually terminated during early 2013.

Diamond was acquired by the Chinese company Wanfeng Aviation in December 2017.