Dornier 228 manufacturer General Atomics AeroTec Systems (GA-ATS) has carried out extensive modernisation and maintenance work on two Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Dornier 228s in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. The first aircraft has since been transferred back to Thailand, where it will be used for special-mission flights.
The GA-ATS technicians carried out a comprehensive upgrade and modernisation programme of the aircraft after it was transported to Oberpfaffenhofen in an Antonov AN-124. The Dornier 228 received new avionics systems for navigation and communication, new modern cockpit displays (glass cockpit) and extensive new mission equipment including a 360° mission radar an electro-optical/infrared camera, a mission management system and a data-link system that enables the crew to transmit data to both ships and ground stations. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems supported the programme as manufacturer of the mission system console.
The interior and cabin of the aircraft were also modernised and the Do228 was repainted at the GA-ATS Paint Shop. With the modernisation programme, the aircraft received an upgrade to Dornier 228NG standard and will be operational for another 15 to 20 years.
For flight training, GA-ATS introduced a new, state-of-the-art Dornier 228NG flight simulator in 2022. The EASA-compliant simulator enables pilots to train in more realistic conditions. The Royal Thai Navy crew were the first international pilots to have the opportunity to experience the handling of the aircraft in the new Do228NG simulator in Oberpfaffenhofen.
The Royal Thai Navy has been operating a fleet of seven Dornier 228s for several decades. In July 2020, GA-ATS was awarded the contract as a cooperative undertaking between the Royal Thai Navy and the United States Department of Defence, which committed a budget under the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative DoD Grant Assistance programme.
The Dornier 228 aircraft perform versatile special missions for the Royal Thai Navy, which can now be carried out more effectively and efficiently. The South-East Asian country monitors its exclusive economic zone (200-mile zone) with the Dornier 228s and conducts extensive ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) missions in the Gulf of Thailand.
