Deutsche Aircraft selects Garmin for its D328eco

Deutsche Aircraft has announced that it has selected Garmin G5000 avionics to be fitted into the newly designed CompanionTM flight deck. The implementation of the Garmin avionics is one key enabling system towards future Single Pilot Operation capability for the D328eco platform.

In parallel, we are developing in a hangar in Oberpaffenhofen for a mock-up of the cockpit fitted with our CompanionTM flight deck design to do preliminary testing.

Next to our avionics system, we have also selected a supplier for the D328eco empennage.  We will be working with GKN Aerospace on the development of the empennage and the industrialisation of this airframe main assembly, which includes the rear fuselage and the vertical- and horizontal tailplane fin. The empennage will feature advanced lightweight solutions involving state-of-the-art composite technology.

Furthermore, we have successfully concluded the first series of tests on the new landing gear being developed to be fitted into the D328eco with our partner Heggemann AG. The landing gear development programme has now officially entered the detail design phase. Suppliers for other onboard systems are ongoing, and more news will be revealed at a later date.

Deutsche Aircraft’s objective is to fly zero CO2 emissions regional aircraft. We believe in the potential of hydrogen technology to help us reach this goal.

To help move this technology further in the aerospace industry, Deutsche Aircraft has signed two Memorandum of Understanding with two companies developing hydrogen technologies, H2Fly, which works on hydrogen fuel cells, and Universal Hydrogen, which works on hydrogen tanks.

Deutsche Aircraft will work together with H2Fly on the research and development of Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology for commercial regional aircraft. We will equip a D328® platform with a 1.5MW hydrogen system and we are planning to have the first flight of our demonstrator by the end of 2025.