The Bangladesh navy has purchased two Ruag Aviation Do 228NG aircraft for maritime patrol and rescue missions.The Do 228NGs will become the navy's first fixed-wing aircraft, said Ruag. The deal also includes crew training services and aircraft maintenance on-site in Bangladesh. Both aircraft are due for delivery in mid-2013.
Ruag said that the Do 228NG is a modernised version of the Do 228-212 that first flew in the 1980s. In the maritime patrol application the aircraft is useful for detecting oil slicks, performing border and fisheries patrol duties and conducting environmental research, it said.
Ruag will perform the final assembly of the aircraft and make customer-specific installations, such as radios and navigation aids, at its Oberpfaffenhofen factory near Munich, Germany.
Alexander Müller, Ruag's vice-president military aviation Germany, attributed the Bangladeshi selection of the Do 228NG to its "cost-effectiveness and ease of use".
The Bangladesh navy last year signed an order for two AgustaWestland AW109E Power helicopters.