Five on Friday: Deutsche, Hermeus and the White House

Promised to be the most sustainable aircraft in its class, last week Deutsche Aircraft rolled out its first D328eco test aircraft, aka TAC 1. 

“This milestone is a testament to our team’s dedication and technical expertise,” said Olaf Lawrenz, chief operating officer, Deutsche. “Building upon the robust foundation of the Dornier 328, an aircraft ahead of its time, we have integrated modern technologies to enhance efficiency and sustainability.”

TAC 1 was rolled out on May 28th at Deutsche’s headquarters in Oberpfaffenhofen, just outside Munich in southern Germany. The aircraft maker is readying to begin test flying in 2026 with type certification and service entry earmarked for Q4 2027.

Based on the Dornier 328 that first flew back in 1992, the updated 40-seat D328eco will be propelled by two new Pratt & Whitney PW127XT-S turboprop engines that Deutsche plans to run on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The OEM is aiming for a 95% reduction in emissions versus the D328eco’s late 20th century inspiration.

Meanwhile, there is long-term work underway to transition to a hydrogen variant, although progress has been somewhat delayed. Deutsche formed a partnership with now-Joby subsidiary and hydrogen fuel cell developer H2Fly in summer 2021 that had planned to fly a demonstrator this year. It is currently unclear when any flying using hydrogen propulsion will take place.

If and when certified in late 2027, the D328eco enters a regional aircraft market in need of revival. There have been no new aircraft in the 30-40 seat range to enter service since the Dornier D328 more than 30 years ago. The last commuter aircraft with under 50-seat capacity to enter service was the ATR 42-600 in 2012.

The above is due to a large number of conflicting factors, but the bottom line is reduced demand for aircraft with 50-seat capacity and under (from carriers) compared with yesteryear. For example, king of the regional game ATR delivered 36 aircraft in 2023 and 25 in 2022. Through the mid-90s the company was averaging 50 per year. In the same time period, Dornier was averaging 15-20 D328 deliveries per annum.

That said, the sustainability advantages both in terms of environmental impact and running costs make the D328eco – and further down the line Heart Aerospace’s ES-30 – a more attractive proposition than what is available today.

Deutsche Aircraft rolls out first D328eco regional prototype Deutsche Aircraft has unveiled the first prototype of its D328eco regional airliner. Designated TAC 1, the test aircraft was rolled out on May 28th at the German company’s headquarters. Source: AIN Future Flight

Hermeus flies Quarterhorse demonstrator for first time Hermeus has successfully flown its remotely piloted Quarterhorse Mk. 1 demonstrator at Edwards AFB, California, marking a key step toward the follow-on development of supersonic and hypersonic vehicles. Source: Aviation Week

White House readies executive orders on drone rulemaking, competitiveness The White House is preparing two executive orders concerning drone operating rules and national security implications that are expected to be signed as soon as June 4th. Source: The Air Current

Air’s uncrewed cargo eVTOL conducts night flight trials The demonstration flights were conducted at a site in northern Israel with an undisclosed launch customer, which has clearance to operate the 550-pound payload vehicle under an experimental airworthiness certificate. Source: AIN Future Flight

Kuehne+Nagel eyes blended wing freighter Keuhne+Nagel, a major shipping company, has partnered with Natilus, which is developing a blended-wing body aircraft, to explore the possibilities of deploying such aircraft in the air cargo sector. Source: Simple Flying