Dornier SeaStar

History of the Dornier SeaStar

The Dornier SeaStar is a turboprop powered amphibious aircraft constructed primarily of composite materials. It was developed by Claudius Dornier Jr. in Germany and first flew in 1984. The design was owned by Conrado, son of Claudius Jr., who founded Dornier Seawings AG (now Dornier Seawings), who took over work on the project after the previous two companies, Claudius Dornier Aircraft and Dornier Composite Aircraft, went bankrupt.

In 1991, the development of the aircraft was put on hold before the Starfish Company had completed production.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, there were several attempts to bring Seastar into production, often in joint ventures with other aerospace companies. However, it has proven difficult to secure the funding needed to get to the manufacturing stage. After several failed starts, Dornier Seawings announced in October 2009 that it would officially start building the model, even though no aircraft were actually built.

In November 2018, the company secured $170 million in funding from Chinese backers to build a manufacturing facility and flying prototypes, with production expected in 2021.

Specification

Basics

Years of Service

2020

Origins

Germany

Status

Under development

Program is running.

Crew

1

Production

2

Manufacturer

Dornier Seawings (Wuxi) - Germany/China

Carrier

China (likely); Germany (likely)

Roles

Special Mission: MEDEVAC

Extraction of wounded combat or civilian elements through specialized shipboard equipment and available internal volume or external carrying capacity.

Special Mission: Search and Rescue (SAR)

Ability to locate and evacuate personnel from potentially hazardous or dangerous areas, such as downed pilots at sea.

nautical/navy

Water mobility capability for a variety of land-based or ship-based maritime missions, supported by Allied Naval Surface Forces.

Commercial Aviation

Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, moving passengers and cargo over long distances.

VIP Service

Used in the VIP (Very Important Person) passenger role, usually with above-average amenities and luxury as standard.

Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), reconnaissance

Monitor ground targets/target areas to assess surrounding threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

41.7 feet

(12.70m)

Width/span

58. 2 feet

(17.75m)

Height

15.9 feet

(4.85m)

Cured weight

6,393 lbs

(2,900 kg)

MTOW

10,141 lbs

(4,600 kg)

Wgt Difference

+3,748 lbs

(+1,700kg)

Performance

Installed:

2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135 turboprop engines, each producing 641 hp, driving a four-blade propeller unit.

Maximum speed

258 km/h

(415 km/h | 224 knots)

Maximum

14,764 feet

(4,500 m | 3 km)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Armor

None.

VARIANTS

SeaStar - name of the base series; two prototypes completed. Starfish CD 2