Deutsche Aircraft has completed the first phase of flight testing for the new landing gear system being developed for its D328eco regional turboprop, marking a key milestone in the aircraft’s certification programme.
The German aircraft manufacturer said a legacy D328 aircraft being used as a dedicated flying testbed has completed five development flights, achieving all planned test objectives. The campaign follows the successful completion of Low-Speed Taxi (LST) and High-Speed Taxi (HST) testing.
Flight testing began on 5 August 2026. Since then, the test aircraft has accumulated more than 15 hours of testing with the new landing gear system, including both ground and flight activities.
The results will support the continued development and certification of the D328eco, a next-generation regional turboprop based on the D328 platform.
“The successful completion of the ground and taxi test campaign, together with the first flights of our landing gear testbed, is an important achievement,” said Nico Neumann, CEO of Deutsche Aircraft.
He said the results provide validation of the landing gear system and allow the company to move into the next stage of flight testing.
The certification campaign will continue using the D328 flying testbed, with further testing planned to evaluate the landing gear across a broader operational and structural envelope.
Upcoming flight-test activities include braking and stopping-distance assessments, steering and ground-handling evaluations, crosswind testing and operations on unpaved runways.
The company also plans high-load and structural assessments, alongside stress, durability and reliability testing as part of the certification process.
Deutsche Aircraft said data collected during the campaign will be used to support certification and further mature the D328eco programme.
The landing gear development is also part of a broader effort by Deutsche Aircraft to strengthen control over key aircraft systems and address supply-chain considerations associated with regional aircraft programmes.
The company has previously identified landing gear supply and lifecycle support as areas where operators can face challenges, including spare-parts availability and long-term system management.
By developing and validating the landing gear system as part of the D328eco programme, Deutsche Aircraft aims to improve long-term supportability and operational resilience for operators of the new aircraft.
The current testing programme builds on the D328’s established operating characteristics while assessing the new system for the D328eco. Deutsche Aircraft has said the aircraft is being developed for demanding regional operations, including routes and airports where flexibility and short-field capability are important.
The latest milestone comes as the D328eco programme advances towards certification and industrialisation. Deutsche Aircraft says the aircraft is intended to provide a modern regional turboprop solution for commercial and special-mission operators, with the certification programme continuing through a series of increasingly demanding ground and flight tests.
