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Dornier Do 228

1982 COLD WAR MODERN AIRCRAFT

History of Dornier Do 228

Introduced in 1982, the Dornier Do 228 was developed as a light utility transport and maritime reconnaissance aircraft for use in several military branches around the world, but has also found a home in commercial service. For many, the high-wing monoplane has become a versatile and consistent performer, powered by 2 Garrett (later Honeywell) engines and powered by 2 Garrett (later Honeywell) engines depending on model and assigned role to 4 crew members. The Dornier company was later taken over by Fairchild in 1996 and the production of the model was exclusively transferred to India under the HAL brand label.

This has helped India become one of the largest operators on the line.

The Do 228 follows the line of the Do 28 (detailed elsewhere on this site), which in turn is based on the single-engine Do 27 of the mid-1950s. It has a boxy fuselage design with plenty of passenger seating and impressive cargo capacity. Several smaller variants of the Do 228 emerged, each offering subtle upgrades and modifications for different roles, while others were pushed into more specialized military roles equipped with powerful search radars. The Do 28E-TNT was turned into a Do 28D model with a high-tech wing and used in a test design with 2 x Garret TPE331-5-252D engines.

The first flight was on June 14, 1979, and this wing later served on the real Do 228 series. The official Do 228 prototype began flying in 1981.

The Do 228-100 (Project E-1) has fifteen passenger seats and the Do 228-212 (Project E-2) has up to nineteen seats. Notable users of the Do 228 are Germany, India and Thailand, which use the system and Bendix search radars for maritime patrol missions. India has used the aircraft in all three major air transport sectors - including maritime patrols.

From Angola and Bangladesh to the Seychelles and Venezuela, there are many operators with roles in both military and civilian markets.

The Do 228 was produced from 1981 to 1998, after which attention turned to the twin-engine product Do 328 - the successor to the Do 228. The Do 228 line was re-established again in 2009, and to date around 275 examples have been produced.