Dornier Do 228

Utility Transport / Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Germany | 1982

"The Dornier Do 228 proved to be a versatile performer in the years covering its production run - restarted in 2009."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/02/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

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The Dornier Do 228 was introduced in 1982 and was developed as a light utility transport and maritime patrol aircraft for several global military branches while also finding homes in commercial service. The high-wing monoplane has become a versatile and steady performer for many with power coming from 2 x Garrett (later Honeywell) engines and crewed by two to four personnel depending on the model and specified role. The Dornier firm would later be acquired by Fairchild in 1996 and production of the model moved exclusively to India through the HAL brand label. This has helped India become one of the largest operators of the line.

The Do 228 followed the Do 28 line (detailed elsewhere on this site) which, itself, was based on the single-engine Do 27 of the mid-1950s. It was given a boxy fuselage design which allowed for high-quantity passenger seating and impressive cargo loads. The Do 228 appeared in several minor variants, each offering up subtle improvements and changes to suit differing roles, while others were pushed into more specialized military roles fitted with powerful search radars. The Do 28E-TNT became a Do 28D model outfitted with a High Technology wing and used to trial the design along with 2 x Garret TPE331-5-252D engines. First flight was on June 14th, 1979 and this wing later went on to serve the true Do 228 series. Formal Do 228 prototypes began flying in 1981.

The Do 228-100 (project E-1) was given passenger seating for fifteen and the Do 228-212 (project E-2) seating for up to nineteen. Among the users of the Do 228, Germany, India and Thailand have stood out and the latter fielding the system with a Bendix search radar for maritime patrol duty. India has utilized the aircraft across all three major air service branches - also in the maritime patrol role. Operators are plenty, ranging from Angola and Bangladesh to Seychelles and Venezuela - in both military and civilian market roles.

Production of Do 228s ran from 1981 until 1998 to which attention then fell on the Do 328 twin-engine product - successor to the Do 228. Do 228 lines were reestablished once more in 2009 and, to date, around 275 examples have been produced in all.

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October 2017 - The Bangladeshi Navy has ordered a pair of Do 228 aircraft to further strengthen its existing Do-228 fleet. These aircraft are primarily used in the maritime patrol and Search and Rescue (SAR) roles. The Navy has used the an original pair of Do 228 aircraft since delivery in 2013. The new order will being its fleet strength to four examples.

March 2021 - UAV-maker General Atomics has taken over production of the Do 228, opening the door to a possible unmanned cargo aircraft form.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Dornier Do 228-100 Utility Transport / Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

2 x Garrett TPE331-5 turboprop engines developing 715 horsepower each.
Propulsion

268 mph
432 kph | 233 kts
Max Speed

29,600 ft
9,022 m | 6 miles
Service Ceiling

1,075 miles
1,730 km | 934 nm
Operational Range

2,050 ft/min
625 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Dornier Do 228-100 Utility Transport / Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

49.3 ft
15.03 m
O/A Length

55.7 ft
(16.97 m)
O/A Width

15.9 ft
(4.86 m)
O/A Height

7,132 lb
(3,235 kg)
Empty Weight

12,566 lb
(5,700 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Dornier Do 228 family line.

Do 228 - Base Series Designation.

Do 228-100 - Extended range model.

Do 228-101 - Strengthened fuselage and landing gears for increased payload support.

Do 228-200 - Increased payload model.

Do 228-201 - Similar improvements as in the 228-101.

Do 228-202 - Licensed Production Models in India under HAL brand.

Do 228-212 - Definitive Do 228; improved performance, updated avionics package and increased operational weights.

Do 228NG ("Next Generation") - RUAG Aviation model of 2013 for Japanese service; five-bladed composite propellers; uprated engines; digital cockpit.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Dornier Do 228. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 275 Units
Contractor(s): Dornier GmbH - West Germany

[ Angola; Bangladesh; Bhutan; Cape Verde; Finland; Germany; West Germany; India; Italy; Malawi; Mauritius; Netherlands; Oman; Seychelles; Thailand; United Kingdom ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (268mph).

Graph Average of 225 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

275

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

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Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

SEARCH & RESCUE

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

VIP SERVICE

RECONNAISSANCE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
The Dornier Do 228 Utility Transport / Maritime Patrol Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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