Swiss aerospace company Ruag has expressed optimism about the partnership, describing it as a "milestone" in their cooperation.
BERLIN: After signing a deal with India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for manufacturing a new generation of Dornier-228 aircraft, Swiss aerospace company Ruag has expressed optimism about the partnership, describing it as a "milestone" in their cooperation.
Ruag Aerospace company's managing director Wolfgang Neumann has hailed his company's new collaboration with the HAL to produce a new generation of 19-seat Do228 aircraft in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich as a "milestone" in the cooperation between the two companies and as a breakthrough for the HAL in Europe.
In an interview, Neumann said he was quite optimistic about a successful collaboration between the HAL and Ruag Aerospace in re-starting the production of one of the world's most proven multi-purpose aircraft in operation.
Under a USD123 million joint venture agreement signed by the two companies at the recent International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) in Berlin, the HAL would supply the first three sets of components for the new aircraft -- the fuselage, wings and the tail units -- for its initial phase.
Neumann said the production of Dornier 228 new generation would start soon in Oberpfaffenhofen and the HAL's involvement would be stepped in the coming years by adding new components to the assembly line. The agreement signed in Berlin is part
of a ten-year contract.
Neumann said he would not rule out the possibility that sometime in the future the new Do228 would be manufactured completely by the HAL either in India or in Germany. The HAL has considerable experience in manufacturing the original Dornier 228 aircraft and it has excellent manufacturing and servicing facilities in India.
The HAL has been manufacturing Dornier 228 aircraft in India for the domestic market for some years under licence from its previous owner Dornier-Fairchild as well as in cooperation with Ruag Aerospace, which acquired the rights and licences as original manufacturer when the parent company went into liquidation in 2002.
Neumann said his company was mainly interested in doing the servicing for Dornier 228 aircraft when it acquired the rights and licences from Dornier-Fairchild. Over 200 Do228 aircraft were built in Oberpfaffenhofen and marketed world-wide between 1982 and 2002. About 150 aircraft are still in service and many of them are maintained by Ruag Aerospace.
The company decided to revive the production of the aircraft at its traditional production base after market studies showed a world-wide demand for a modernised version that incorporates state-of-the-art technology, Neumann said.
The new 19-seat aircraft will retain the original Honewell turboprop engines. However, it will incorporate numerous changes, including Rockwell Collins avionics, a Universal glass cockpit, Liebherr hydraulics and a new reduced-diameter five-blade propeller that lowers noise levels and brings better range and field performance.
Neumann said the joint venture partners envisaged to manufacture three to four aircraft in the first year and then raising it upto eight to ten aircraft annually.
Most of the demand for the new aircraft comes from Asia for commuter or regional use, but there are also requirements in Europe and South America for maritime patrol, border security and other special missions, Neumann said. These aircraft are ideal for use for regional hopper services in Asia, connecting islands with short runways.
Ruag Aerospace has received the first firm orders for six Do228 new generation from a customer in Asia and the first aircraft will be delivered in 2010.
Neumann said the HAL has to get the EASA certification as a components manufacturer to supply the parts from its production base in India. This will also enable the HAL to export the aircraft from its own production in India.
Around 100 Dornier 228 aircraft have been manufactured by the HAL in Kanpur for diverse use in India such as regional commuter traffic, maritime surveillance, border security, oil pollution detection and control, VIP/Executiuve transport,
troop transport and para jumping.
Aerospace industry experts suggested that after entering the international arena for commercial aircraft production, the next stage for the HAL would be the production of multi-role transport aircraft in 50-60 seater or 100-120 seater categories.
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