Swiss manufacturer RUAG acquired the rights of the aircraft from Fairchild in 2002, and introduced the Dornier 228 NG variant in 2009. The fuselage, wings, and tail assembly were manufactured by HAL in Kanpur, and were transported to Oberpfaffenhofen, where RUAG carried out the final assembly. It used the same airframe as its predecessor with a new five-blade propeller, improved avionics, glass cockpit, and was capable of flying a longer range.
In late 2017, HAL announced the introduction of a new civilian variant Hindustan-Dornier 228 for operations in India. In 2020, RUAG sold the Dornier 228 to AeroTec Systems, a subsidiary of US-based General Atomics. General Atomics announced plans to resume production of a new version Do228 NXT.
Development
Origins
Experimental modified Do-28E with the 'New Technology Wing' in 1980
In the late 1970s, Dornier GmbH developed a new kind of wing, the TNT (Tragflügel neuer Technologie – New Technology Wing), under a project subsidized by the German Government.[3] A Dornier Do 28 aircraft, equipped with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engines, was fitted with the modified wing. Later, Dornier fitted the aircraft with two Garrett AiResearch TPE-331-5 engines, and named it Dornier 128.[4] The company developed two variants of the aircraft with a redesigned fuselage. The 15- and 19-seater aircraft were named as E-1 (later Dornier 228-100) and E-2 (later Dornier 228-200) respectively. Dornier put the new aircraft on stationery display at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 1980. The prototypes were flown for the first time on 28 March 1981 and 9 May 1981 respectively.[4][5]
After the type certification by German authorities was granted on 18 December 1981, the Dornier 228-100 entered commercial service with Norving in July 1982.[4] The larger Dornier 228-200 entered service with Jet Charters in late 1982.[6] The aircraft was certified by the British and American aviation authorities followed on 17 April and 11 May 1984 respectively.[5] By 1983, the production rate was about three aircraft per month, and Dornier targeted a output of 300 aircraft by the end of the 1980s.[6]
In November 1983, Dornier signed a license-production and phased technology-transfer agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. A production line was established in Kanpur, India, and the first aircraft rolled out of the facility in 1985.[7] By 2014, 125 Dornier 228s had been produced in India.[2] Over the years, Dornier offered various variants of the aircraft, fitted with optional equipment to several operators. In 1996, Dornier announced the ceasing of operations in Germany, and the transfer of all manufacturing operations to India. In 1998, activity on the German production line was halted, in part to concentrate on the production of the larger Fairchild-Dornier 328 and in response to Dornier's wider financial difficulties.[8]
Dornier 228NG
The main outside change of the 228NG is the five-bladed propeller
In 2002, Swiss company RUAG took over the services and components divisions from Fairchild Dornier, including the production rights of Dornier 228.[9] RUAG acquired the type certificate for the aircraft in 2003.[10] In December 2007, it announced an intention to launch a modernized version of the aircraft, designated as the Dornier 228NG.[8][1][11] At the 2008 Berlin Air Show, HAL agreed on a ten-year contract worth €80 million for the supply of fuselage, wings and tail assembly.[12] The final assembly of the aircraft was carried out in Germany.[1][13] The main changes from the previous production model were more powerful engines, a new five-blade propeller made of composite material, and an advanced glass cockpit featuring electronic instrument displays and other improved avionics.[10][14]
In June 2010, the passenger version of Dornier 228NG was priced at €5.2 million.[15] On 18 August 2010, the aircraft received its airworthiness certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency.[16]New Central Aviation took delivery of the first NG aircraft in September 2010.[17][18] However, RUAG decided to suspend production in 2013 after the completion of an initial batch of eight aircraft. In 2014, RUAG signed an agreement with the Tata Group for the latter to become a key supplier of the program.[19] Production restarted in 2015, with a plan to produce four aircraft annually from 2016.[20] In February 2016, RUAG announced the beginning of serial production of the aircraft at its German production line starting in mid-2016.[21] The assembly line was reportedly capable of producing a maximum of 12 aircraft per year.[22]
Hindustan-Dornier 228
In late 2017, the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued a type certificate to the Hindustan-Dornier 228 to be manufactured by HAL. The aircraft, which had been license produced by HAL for the Indian Armed Forces was permitted to be operated for commercial purposes after modifications by HAL. The aircraft was manufactured at the HAL facility in Kanpur,[23][24] and made its public debut in the 2020 Dubai Airshow.[25] The civilian version consists of 17-seater and 19-seater variants. HAL also unveiled a business variant, and an air ambulance model of the same aircraft.[26]
In September 2022, state owned-Alliance Air signed an agreement with HAL to lease two 17-seater Dornier 228 aircraft, and the first aircraft was delivered on 7 April 2022.[24][27] Alliance Air deployed the aircraft on the Dibrugarh–Pasighat route on 12 April 2022, becoming the first Indian-made aircraft to be used for civil aviation operations in India.[24][28]
Dornier 228 NXT
On 30 September 2020, US firm General Atomics bought the Dornier 228 production line in Oberpfaffenhofen, including the transfer of all 450 employees, pending regulatory approval.[29] The sale was announced on 15 October 2020,[9] and was completed in February 2021.[30][31]
On 19 January 2023, ZeroAvia flew its Dornier 228 testbed for 10 minutes with one TPE331 turboprop replaced by a prototype hydrogen-electric powertrain consisting of two fuel cells and a lithium-ion battery.[34] On 24 July 2024, KLM and ZeroAvia announced a partnership to work towards a demonstration flight using ZeroAvia's ZA2000 hydrogen-electric hybrid engines, with plans to conduct initial tests in 2026.[35]
Design
Head-on view showing the rectangular fuselage
The Dornier 228 is a twin-engine general purpose aircraft, capable of transporting up to 19 passengers or cargo. It is powered by a pair of Garrett TPE331 turboprop engines. The aircraft has a rectangular fuselage with large side-loading doors, making it suitable for cargo and utility operations.[6] The aircraft is known for its versatility, low operational costs, and a high level of reliability (99%). As per its manufacturer, no other comparable aircraft in the class can carry as much capacity over a comparable distance at the speeds operated by the Dornier 228.[14]
Analog flight deck of the pre-NG variants
Dornier 228 is commonly classified as a Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) aircraft, capable of operating from shorter and unpaved runways. This capability is largely attributed to the type's supercritical wing which generates a higher lift at slower speeds.[6][36] The wing is atypical and one of the more distinguishing features of the aircraft.[6][37] It is in the form of a rectangular box formed from four integrally-milled alloy panels. Kevlar is used for the ribs, stringers, trailing edge and fowler flaps, with the wing's leading edge made of conventional alloy sheet metal.[3][38] Benefits of this wing over conventional methodology include an estimated 15% reduction in weight, the elimination of large number of rivets, and lowering the per-aircraft manufacturing workload by roughly 340 man hours. Both the fuselage and tail are of a conventional design, but make use of chemical milling in order to save weight.[6]
The Dornier 228 has been promoted in various capacities, including as a commuter aircraft, a military transporter, cargo hauler, or as a special missions aircraft. Special missions include maritime surveillance, border patrol, medevac, search and rescue, paradrop and environmental research missions, in which capacity the type has proven useful due to a ten-hour flight endurance, a wide operating range, low operational cost, and varied equipment range.[3][36][39][40] Special equipment available to be installed include a 360-degree surveillance radar, side-looking airborne radar, forward-looking infrared sensor, search light, operator station, real-time datalink, enlarged fuel tanks, satellite uplink, stretches, air-openable roller door, and infrared/ultraviolet sensors.[36] In addition to a 19-seat commuter configuration for airlines, a business configuration is also offered, in which the cabin is customized as per client specifications. The Dornier 228 is the only aircraft of its class to be fitted with air conditioning as standard.[36][41]
The Garrett TPE331-10 engines in the NG aircraft are optimized for the redesigned five-bladed fibre-propellers, which are more efficient, quick to start, and produces less vibration and noise than the original metal four-bladed predecessor.[36][6][43] It has the longest time between overhaul of any comparable 19-seat aircraft, reportedly up to 7,000 hours. The aircraft is also equipped with an engine-indicating and crew-alerting system, and optional safety equipment such as airborne collision avoidance system and terrain awareness and warning system.[36] In standard configuration, the aircraft uses 360lb (160kg) of fuel per hour while cruising at 120kn (220km/h) at an altitude of 8,000ft (2,400m).[42]
As of July 2018[update], the Dornier fleet accumulated over four million flight hours,[44] and 57 aircraft were in commercial service.[45] Other operators include police, law enforcement, paramilitary operators and military operators.
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