Deutsche Aircraft has completed low-speed and high-speed taxi testing for its landing gear system, followed by the initial phase of flight testing using a dedicated D328 testbed.

The legacy D328, converted into a flying testbed, has completed its first five development flights, meeting all planned test objectives. Flight testing began on 5 August 2026 and the aircraft has since accumulated more than 15 hours of test time with the new landing gear system across flight and ground activities. The campaign supports the maturation and certification of the D328eco.

Nico Neumann, CEO of Deutsche Aircraft, says: “The successful completion of the ground and taxi test campaign, together with the first flights of our landing gear testbed, is an important achievement.”

Deutsche Aircraft has switched landing gear supplier and secured full intellectual property rights for the system, bringing the architecture under its direct engineering authority. The change is intended to improve system flexibility, responsiveness and long-term product stewardship, allowing Deutsche Aircraft to manage future upgrades, secure component availability and harmonise the landing gear architecture across the D328 and D328eco platforms. Existing D328 operators are expected to benefit from a common architecture across both aircraft generations, improved lifecycle support and greater parts availability.

Aaron Tsang, Head of Design Organisation and VP Engineering at Deutsche Aircraft, adds: “Using a legacy D328 as a dedicated flying testbed has enabled us to efficiently validate the landing gear system across the full operational envelope, from structural ground testing to taxi operations and flight testing.”

The certification campaign will continue on the D328 testbed, covering braking and stopping-distance validation, steering and ground-handling evaluations, crosswind testing and unpaved runway testing, alongside high-load structural, stress, durability and reliability assessments. Data gathered will support certification activities and the continued development of the D328eco programme.