Expansion lies ahead for Germany's aerospace industry, but while suppliers could count on military and commercial business in the past, it seems growth may have to come from civilian programmes alone. The assembly of Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofans will become central for MTU's plant in Munich from 2015, when engine production for the Eurofighter Typhoon and Airbus A400M should be finished. Not far to the north, Eurocopter has revealed the development of clean-sheet helicopter X9 to fill capacity at Donauwörth. Liebherr is building up its landing gear facility in Lindenberg as part of a 50% growth plan. Meanwhile in Dresden, airframe maintenance is on the agenda for EADS's freighter conversion centre. Here, we profile all these leading players - and put Ruag's Dornier 228NG turboprop to the test in an exclusive flight evaluation.
 |
|---|
| Ruag |
Contents
- Small town wonder: Eurocopter focuses on Donauwörth
- Going civilian: MTU shifts towards commercial arena
- Leading by a nose: Liebherr gears up for growth
- Spreading the risk: EFW sees its future in airframe MRO
- Spying a niche: Flight-testing the Dornier Do 228NG
Source: Flight International
