Deutsche Aircraft is preparing to unveil its first flying prototype of the D328eco turboprop, which will be rolled out from the company’s Oberpfaffenhofen facility at the end of May.
The prototype, designated TAC1, has been constructed by using two Dornier 328 airframes to create a stretched fuselage.
It comprises the centre section of one airframe to which the nose and empennage of a second have been mated.
This stretched fuselage will give the D328eco the capability of accommodating 40 passengers.
Deutsche Aircraft plans to roll out TAC1 on 28 May.
It says this event will mark the “first opportunity for the public to witness this groundbreaking new aircraft design”, adding that it highlights the company’s “commitment to transparency”.
Deutsche Aircraft has been looking to fly TAC1 later this year.
TAC1 will undergo “rigorous testing” before its maiden flight, the company states, with a series of system ground checks before the aircraft is handed to the flight-test team.
“Flight-test pilots will undertake more than 1,000h of advanced simulator training to become familiar with the aircraft handling, including failure scenarios and high-risk manoeuvres,” it adds.
Along with greater capacity, the D328eco will also feature updated avionics and Pratt & Whitney PW127XT engines, offering greater fuel efficiency.
Deutshe Aircraft recently advanced the establishment of a final assembly line for the type at Leipzig-Halle airport, two years after a groundbreaking ceremony.
The company formally laid a cornerstone for the manufacturing facility which it expects will be ready before the end of this year.
It intends to build up to 48 aircraft annually at the plant, which will also feature a commissioning hangar and logistics centre.
“We are bringing the development of a regional aircraft – based on the DNA of Dornier – entirely back to Germany,” says Deutsche Aircraft co-chief Nico Neumann.
Its cornerstone ceremony took place two weeks after Deutsche Aircraft inaugurated the D328eco’s rear fuselage assembly line in India. The line is situated at the facilities of aerospace firm Dynamatic Technologies in Bengaluru.
