India supplied first Dornier 228 NG ship-set to RUAG Aerospace Services

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) . most important partner of RUAG Aerospace under the Dornier 228 NG (New Generation) relaunch programme, has supplied the first set of structural parts (ship-set) to RUAG Aerospace Services GmbH in Oberpfaffenhofen (Germany). This ship-set was handed over mid-February, less than one year after contract signing. The ship-set consists of fuselage, wings and tail unit and will arrive mid-April 2009 in Oberpfaffenhofen where the final assembly of the first Dornier 228 NG aircraft starts. First delivery of a Dornier 228 NG to a customer is scheduled to take place early in 2010. The main changes against the previous Dornier 228-212 model are a new 5-blade propeller made of composite material with enhanced performance, as well as an advanced glass cockpit and new digital avionics. Current orders and options on hand are 10 aircraft. "We are very proud of the good order situation, which reflects the result of our market study and the demand for a niche product like the Dornier 228 NG. Our customers who still prefer not to be mentioned by name come from Japan, Australia, Mexico and Argentina. The aircraft will be used in regional transport, in particular from STOL runways, with special equipment for coast, environment and border control tasks", says Wolfgang Neumann. The Dornier 228 NG excels by its high mission flexibility, reliability and economic efficiency in operation.