Dornier 228
A RUAG Dornier 228NG in 2012
Role Utility aircraft
Manufacturer Dornier GmbH
RUAG
General Atomics
Built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
First flight 28 March 1981
Introduction July 1982
Status Active service
Primary users Indian Air Force
Indian Coast Guard
Indian Navy
Produced Dornier: 1982–1997
HAL: 1985–present
RUAG: 2010–2020
General Atomics: 2021-Present
Number built Dornier: 245[1]
HAL: 125.[2]
Developed from Dornier Do 28

The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, designed and first manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier) from 1981 until 1998. Two hundred and forty-five were built in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) bought a production licence and manufactured another 125 aircraft in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. In July 2017, 63 aircraft were still in airline service.

In 2009, RUAG started building a Dornier 228 New Generation in Germany. The fuselage, wings and tail unit are manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Kanpur, India, and transported to Oberpfaffenhofen, where RUAG Aviation carries out aircraft final assembly. The Dornier 228NG uses the same airframe with improved technologies and performances, such as a new five-blade propeller, glass cockpit and longer range.[3] The first delivery was made in September 2010 to a Japanese operator.[4] In 2020, RUAG sold the Dornier 228 program to General Atomics.[5]

Development

Origins

Experimental Do-28D modified with the Do-228 supercritical wing

In the late 1970s, Dornier GmbH developed a new kind of wing, the TNT (Tragflügel neuer Technologie – Aerofoil new technology), subsidized by the German Government.[6] Dornier tested it on a modified Do 28D-2 Skyservant and with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-110 turboprop engines. Finally, Dornier changed the engine and tested the new aircraft, which was named Dornier 128 with two Garrett AiResearch TPE-331-5 engines.[7] The company developed a new fuselage for the TNT and TPE 331–5 in two variants (15- and 19-passenger) and named both project-aircraft E-1 (later Dornier 228-100) and E-2 (later Dornier 228-200). At the ILA Berlin Air Show in 1980, Dornier presented the new aircraft to the public. Both of the prototypes were flown on 28 March 1981 and 9 May 1981 for the first time.[7][8]

The Dornier 228 prototype at Farnborough 1982 in Norving colors, its first operator

After German certification was granted on 18 December 1981, the first Dornier 228-100 entered service in the fleet of Norving in July 1982.[7] The first operator of the larger Dornier 228-200 entered service with Jet Charters in late 1982.[9] Certification from both British and American aviation authorities followed on 17 April and 11 May 1984 respectively.[8] By 1983, the production rate of the Dornier 228 had risen to three aircraft per month; at this point, Dornier had targeted that 300 Dornier 228s would be produced by the end of the 1980s.[9] In November 1983, a major license-production and phased technology-transfer agreement between Dornier and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was signed; a separate production line was established and produced its first aircraft in 1985. By 2014, a total of 125 Dornier 228s had been produced in India.[10]

Over the years, Dornier offered the 228 in upgraded variants and fitted with optional equipment for performing various special missions. In 1996, it was announced that all manufacturing operations would be transferred 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.[10]

Dornier 228NG

The main outside change of the 228NG is the five bladed propeller

In 2002, RUAG took over the Services and Components divisions from Fairchild Dornier, including the Dornier 228 production rights.[5] RUAG acquired the Dornier 228 type certificate in 2003.[11] In December 2007, RUAG announced their intention to launch a modernized version of the aircraft, designated as the Dornier 228 Next Generation, or Dornier 228 NG.[10][1][12] At the 2008 Berlin Air Show, HAL agreed on supplying the first three components sets — fuselage, wings and tail — for €5 million, as a part of an €80 million ($123 million) ten-year contract.[13] In June 2010, the passenger aircraft was priced at €5.2 million ($7 million), €5.8–5.9 million with JAR-Ops equipment; restarting its production cost €20 million.[14]

On 18 August 2010, the Dornier 228NG received its airworthiness certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).[15] The final assembly for the type is located in Germany; however, most airframe subassemblies, such as the wings, tail and fuselage, are produced by HAL in India.[1][16][17] The main changes from the previous Dornier 228-212 model were a new five-blade propeller made of composite material, more powerful engines and an advanced glass cockpit featuring electronic instrument displays and other avionics improvements.[11][18]

The first delivery, to the Japanese operator New Central Aviation, took place in September 2010.[19] RUAG decided to suspend production of the Dornier 228 NG after the completion of an initial batch of eight aircraft in 2013. In 2014, RUAG and Tata Group signed an agreement for the latter to become a key supplier of the program.[20] Production was restarted in 2015, with deliveries of four per year planned from 2016.[21] In February 2016, RUAG announced that they were set to begin serial production of the Dornier 228 NG at its German production line in mid-2016;[20][22] the assembly line is reportedly capable of producing a maximum of 12 aircraft per year.[23]

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.[24] The sale was announced on 15 October 2020,[5] and was completed in February 2021.[25]

Hindustan 228

In late 2017, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued a type certificate to the Hindustan 228. The aircraft was so far being manufactured under licence from RUAG for Indian defence forces and European markets would now be allowed to operate in India for commercial purposes.[26] The 228 made its public debut in 2020 at the Dubai Airshow.[27] Alliance Air signed an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to lease two 17-seater Dornier 228 aircraft in September 2021. The first aircraft was delivered to Alliance Air on 7 April 2022.[28] The HAL Dornier 228 had previously only been used by the Indian Armed Forces but was modified by HAL for commercial operations. Alliance Air deployed the aircraft on a new route connecting Dibrugarh, Assam and Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh on 12 April 2022, becoming the first airline to use an Indian-made aircraft in civil aviation operations and the first commercial airline in the country to operate the Dornier 228 aircraft.[29]

Hybrid-Electric Demonstrators

Supported by Bavarian funding, the German DLR is modifying one of its two Dornier 228 into a demonstrator hybrid electric aircraft . The first fully electric flight is planned for 2020 and the first hybrid-electric flight for 2021, apparently from Cochstedt Airport. Partners include MTU Aero Engines and Siemens, of which Rolls-Royce plc is acquiring the electric propulsion unit.[30]

On 19 January 2023, ZeroAvia flew its Dornier 228 testbed during 10 minutes with one TPE331 turboprop replaced by a prototype hydrogen-electric powertrain in the cabin: two fuel cells and a lithium-ion battery for peak power, towards a certifiable configuration by 2025.[31]

Design

Head-on view showing the rectangular fuselage
Two across seating
Analog flight deck pre-228NG

The Dornier 228 is a twin-engine general purpose aircraft, capable of transporting up to 19 passengers or various cargoes. It is powered by a pair of Garrett TPE331 turboprop engines. The Dornier 228 is commonly classified as a Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL)-capable aircraft, being capable of operating from rough runways and in hot climates. This capability has been largely attributed to the type's supercritical wing which generates large amounts of lift at slow speeds.[9][16] The Dornier 228 is typically promoted for its versatility, low operational costs, and a high level of reliability – possessing a dispatch reliability of 99%. RUAG Aviation have claimed that no other aircraft in the same class may carry as much cargo or as many passengers over a comparable distance as fast as the Dornier 228 NG.[16]

The rectangular shape of the Dornier 228's fuselage section and large side-loading doors make it particularly suitable for utility operators, which is a market that Dornier had targeted with the type from the onset.[9] According to Flight International, one of the more distinguishing features of the Dornier 228 is the supercritical wing used.[9][32] The structure of the wing is atypical, consisting of a box formed from four integrally-milled alloy panels. Kevlar is used for the ribs, stringers, trailing edge and fowler flaps, and the wing's leading edge is conventional alloy sheet metal.[6][33] Benefits of this wing over conventional methodology include a 15% reduction in weight, the elimination of 12,000 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.[9]

Maritime patrol variant of the Finnish Border Guard, with a radome under the fuselage
Radar console for maritime patrol

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.[6][16][34][35] Special equipment available to be installed include a 360-degree surveillance radar, side-looking airborne radar, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, search light, operator station, real-time datalink, enlarged fuel tanks, satellite uplink, stretches, air-openable roller door, and infrared/ultraviolet sensors.[16] In addition to a 19-seat commuter configuration for airlines, a VIP cabin configuration is also offered; the cabin can also be customized as per each client's specifications. The Dornier 228 is the only aircraft of its class to be fitted with air conditioning as standard.[16][36]

Dornier 228NG

More than 350 design changes are present between the Dornier 228 and the re-launched Dornier 228 NG. Amongst the principal changes is the adoption of Universal's UNS-1 glass cockpit, which means that standard aircraft are equipped to be flown under single-pilot instrument flight rules (IFR) in addition to visual flight rules (VFR); according to RUAG Aviation, the Dornier 228 NG is the first aircraft in its class to be certified with equivalent electronics.[16][37] A total of four large displays are used in the cockpit, two primary flight displays and two multifunction displays, to present all key flight data.[6] The navigation system includes VHF omnidirectional range (VOR), distance measuring equipment (DME), automatic direction finder (ADF), radar altimeter, Global Positioning System (GPS), air data computer, and a flight management system. A three-axis autopilot can be optionally incorporated, as can a weather radar and high frequency (HF) radio.[16][36] While designed for two-pilot operation, the Dornier 228 can be flown by only one crewmember.[9]

Additional changes include the Garrett TPE331-10 engines, which have been optimized to work with the redesigned five-bladed fibre-composite propellers now used by the type, which are more efficient, quick to start, and produces substantially less vibration and noise than the original metal four-bladed predecessor.[16][9][38] Through its engines, the Dornier 228 NG has the longest time between overhaul (TBO) of any 19-seat aircraft, reportedly up to 7,000 hours. An engine-indicating and crew-alerting system (EICAS) is also present for safety purposes; additional optional safety equipment akin to much larger passenger aircraft, including airborne collision avoidance system (ACAS) and terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS), can be incorporated as well.[16] At 8,000 ft (2,400 m) in clean config, the 228NG burns 360 lb (160 kg) of fuel per hour at a 120 kn (220 km/h) cruise.[37]

Operators

In July 2018, 57 aircraft were in airline service.[39] Other operators include police, law enforcement, paramilitary operators and military operators.

By July 2018, the fleet accumulated over four million flight hours.[40]

Accidents and incidents

The Dornier 228 has been involved in 54 aviation accidents and incidents including 41 hull losses.[41] Those resulted in 205 fatalities[42]

Accidents with fatalities[43]
Date Flight Fat. Location Event Surv.
26 March 1982Dornier3Germany, near Igenhausen Prototype test flight, Loss of control0
24 February 1985AWI Polar 33West Sahara, near Dakhla Shot down by the Polisario Front guerrillas[44]0
23 September 1989Vayudoot PF62411India, near Indapur Loss of control0
18 April 1991Air Tahiti 80510French Polynesia, near Nuku Hiva Engine failure in approach not acknowledged then ditching12
2 January 1993Indian Coast Guard4India, near Paradip Crashed into sea2
28 February 1993Formosa Airlines6Taiwan, near Orchid Island Struck the sea while approaching Orchid Island in heavy rain0
31 July 1993Everest Air19Nepal, near Bharatpur Airport Controlled Flight Into Terrain (Mountain) while on approach0
5 April 1996Formosa 76136Taiwan, near Matsu Airport Crashed while attempting to land11
10 August 1997Formosa 760116Taiwan, near Matsu Airport Crashed while attempting to land0
6 September 1997Royal Brunei 23810Malaysia, near Miri Airport Crashed at Lambir Hills National Park on approach0
30 July 1998Indian Airlines 5039India, Cochin airport Poor stabiliser maintenance, loss of control, 3 killed on ground[45]0
7 August 1999TACV Flight 500218Cape Verde, Santo Antão Airport Controlled Flight Into Terrain – Mountain0
17 September 2006Nigerian Air Force13Nigeria, near Vandeikya Controlled Flight Into Terrain – Mountain5
24 August 2010Agni Air Flight 10114Nepal, near Shikharpur, Narayani Controlled Flight Into Terrain – Mountain0
14 May 2012Agni Air15Nepal, near Jomsom Airport Crashed while attempting to land[46]6
28 September 2012Sita Air Flight 60119Nepal, near Kathmandu Airport Engine bird strike, crashed and burned shortly after takeoff0
9 September 2013CorpFlite2Chile, near Viña del Mar Airport Crashed into power lines whilst attempting to land in fog[47]0
24 March 2015Indian Navy2Indian Ocean, near Goa, India Believed to have plunged into the sea after technical problems[48][49]0
8 June 2015Indian Coast Guard3Indian Ocean, near Pichavaram Crashed into sea, located on 10 July, 16.5 nmi off coast0
29 August 2015Nigerian Air Force7Kaduna, Nigeria Crashed into a house and burned near departure airport[50]0
24 November 2019Busy Bee Congo20+6Goma, DR Congo Crashed on takeoff from Goma Airport[51]1

Specifications (Dornier 228NG)

3-view line drawing of the Dornier 228
3-view line drawing of the Dornier 228

Data from RUAG.[52]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Capacity: 19 passengers
  • Length: 16.56 m (54 ft 4 in)
  • Wingspan: 16.97 m (55 ft 8 in)
  • Height: 4.86 m (15 ft 11 in)
  • Wing area: 32 m2 (340 sq ft)
  • Airfoil: Do A-5[53]
  • Empty weight: 3,900 kg (8,598 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 6,575 kg (14,495 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 1,885 kg (4,156 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop, 579 kW (776 shp) each
  • Propellers: 5-bladed MT-Propeller, 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) diameter fully-feathering constant-speed propellers[54]

Performance

  • Cruise speed: 413 km/h (257 mph, 223 kn)
  • Stall speed: 137 km/h (85 mph, 74 kn)
  • Range: 396 km (246 mi, 214 nmi) with 1,960 kg (4,321 lb) payload
  • Ferry range: 2,363 km (1,468 mi, 1,276 nmi) with 547 kg (1,206 lb) payload
  • Endurance: 10 hours[16]
  • Service ceiling: 7,620 m (25,000 ft) [54]
  • Fuel consumption: 0.945 kg/km (3.35 lb/mi) at 413 km/h (257 mph; 223 kn) IAS[36]
  • Take-off run: 792 m (2,600 ft) (MTOW, ISA, SL)
  • Landing run: 451 m (1,480 ft) (MLW, ISA, SL)

See also

An Agni Air Dornier 228 in front of a Twin Otter of Tara Air in Lukla Airport, Nepal

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. 1 2 3 Thomas Stocker (28 December 2007). "Ruag to relaunch Dornier 228 production". AIN online.
  2. ↑ "HAL Bags Rs. 1090 Crore Contract for Supplying 14 Do-228 Aircraft to IAF" (Press release). HAL. 5 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Dornier 228 Archived 2010-06-25 at the Wayback Machine RUAG Dornier 228 webpage. RUAG. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  4. ↑ Harry Weisberger (10 October 2011). "Ruag Shows Off NextGen Dornier Do228NG". AIN.
  5. 1 2 3 "RUAG International is selling parts of the business at the Oberpfaffenhofen location" (Press release). RUAG. 15 October 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Dornier 228 Multirole (MR) Facts & Figures." Archived 2016-03-01 at the Wayback Machine RUAG Aviation, Retrieved: 27 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 "Dornier's Way With Commuters". Air International, October 1987, Vol 33 No 4. Bromley, UK:Fine Scroll. ISSN 0306-5634. pp. 163–169, 201–202.
  8. 1 2 Taylor, John W.R. (editor). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1988. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5, p.87.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Whitaker, Roger (6 February 1982). "Dornier 228: advanced technology commuter". Flight Global. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 Eriksson, Sören and Harm-Jan Steenhuis. The Global Commercial Aviation Industry. Routledge, 2015. ISBN 1-13667-239-7, pp.59–62, 241
  11. 1 2 Alcock, Charles. "Ruag Do228NG approval planned for first quarter." AIN Online, 28 December 2009.
  12. ↑ Doyle, Andrew. "Surprise rebirth." Flight International, 19 May 2008.
  13. ↑ Press Trust of India (5 June 2008). "HAL signs deal for making new generation Dornier aircraft". The Economic Times.
  14. ↑ Andrew Doyle (1 June 2010). "ILA: Ruag makes a splash with Dornier 228 New Generation". Flight International.
  15. ↑ "EASA certifies modernised Dornier 228NG". Flight International. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Dornier 228 NG – Benefit from a New Generation." Archived 2016-03-01 at the Wayback Machine RUAG Aviation, Retrieved: 27 February 2016.
  17. ↑ Sarsfield, Kate. "Back to life: nine civil types revived." Flight International, 27 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "First Dornier 228NG Shipset Supplied." BART International.
  19. ↑ "New Generation Do228 Delivered". Air International, Vol. 79, No. 5, November 2010, p. 11.
  20. 1 2 Alcock, Charles. "Ruag to Kick Off Dornier 228NG Production in Mid-2016." AIN Online, 13 February 2016.
  21. ↑ Broadbent, Mike. "RUAG Resumes Dornier 228NG Production". Air International, Vol. 89, No. 2, August 2015, p. 35.
  22. ↑ Arthur, Gordon. "Singapore Airshow: Dornier 228 production ramps up." Shephard Media, 22 February 2016.
  23. ↑ Batey, Angus. "RUAG, Dornier OEM, Sets Up 228 Production." Aviation Week, 15 June 2015.
  24. ↑ Murdo Morrison (16 October 2020). "General Atomics buys RUAG's Dornier 228 programme and German MRO business". Flightglobal.
  25. ↑ "General Atomics Finalizes Takeover Of Dornier 228 Production | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com.
  26. ↑ "HAL's Dornier planes made under 'Make in India' set for commercial flights". Business Standard. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  27. ↑ "HAL Takes 'Make in India' Mantra to Heart".
  28. ↑ Saha, Poulomi (7 April 2022). "First India-made Dornier 228 aircraft delivered to Alliance Air". India Today. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  29. ↑ "Alliance Air to launch Dornier plane on Dibrugarh-Pasighat route on Tuesday". mint. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  30. ↑ Graham Warwick (27 August 2019). "The Week In Technology, 26-30 August 2019". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  31. ↑ "ZeroAvia Makes Aviation History, Flying World's Largest Aircraft Powered with a Hydrogen-Electric Engine" (Press release). ZeroAvia. 19 January 2023.
  32. ↑ "Dornier." Flight International, 21 March 1981. p. 845.
  33. ↑ "Construction and Fuselage." Archived 2016-03-02 at the Wayback Machine RUAG Aviation, Retrieved: 27 February 2016.
  34. ↑ "Ensuring mission success. The Dornier 228 Multirole." RUAG Aviation, Retrieved: 27 February 2016.
  35. ↑ "Dornier extends its range". Flight International. 29 May 1982. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  36. 1 2 3 "Economical and flexible. The Dornier 228 Advanced Commuter." Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine RUAG Aviation, Retrieved: 27 February 2016.
  37. 1 2 Collins, Peter (31 August 2012). "FLIGHT TEST: Ruag's Dornier 228NG put to the test". Flight International.
  38. ↑ "More Power for Dornier." Flying Magazine, November 1990. Vol. 117, No. 11. ISSN 0015-4806. p. 47.
  39. ↑ "World Airline Census 2018". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  40. ↑ James Wynbrandt (14 July 2018). "Ruag Touts New-generation Dornier 228". AIN online.
  41. ↑ "Dornier 228". Flight Safety Foundation. 4 March 2016.
  42. ↑ "Dornier 228 Statistics". Aviation Safety Network. 12 January 2021.
  43. ↑ "occurrences in the ASN safety database". Flight Safety Foundation. 7 July 2018.
  44. ↑ Aviation safety network – Report on Polar 3 accessed: 18 April 2009
  45. ↑ "Nine killed as IA plane crashes into naval workshop". Rediff.com. United News of India. 30 July 1998.
  46. ↑ "13 Indians among 15 killed in Nepal air crash". Hindustan Times. 14 May 2012. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  47. ↑ "Corpflite Dornier 228 CC-CNW crashes in Chile, two pilots killed". World Airline News. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  48. ↑ "Indian Navy Dornier plane crashes in Goa; woman among 2 officers missing". The Indian Express. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  49. ↑ "India navy plane crashes off Goa leaving two missing". BBC News. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  50. ↑ "29 August 2015 NAF030 Accident". Aviation Safety Network. 9 July 2018.
  51. ↑ Greg Waldron (25 November 2019). "Dornier 228 crash in Congo kills up to 29: reports". Flightglobal.
  52. ↑ "Dornier 228 Advanced Commuter (AC) Facts & Figures". RUAG.
  53. ↑ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  54. 1 2 "Type certificate data sheet A.359 - Dornier 228 Series" (PDF). European Aviation Safety Agency. 4 January 2017.
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video icon Dornier 228 conducting aerobatic maneuvers at the 1986 Reykjavik Airshow
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