The company Deutsche Aircraft GmbH opened a new location at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Tuesday. The new D328eco regional aircraft is being built there, primarily for passenger transport. The model can and should also be used for military purposes and for border protection.

On Tuesday it was inLeipzigA new assembly hall for Deutsche Aircraft GmbH opened. Almost 50 new D328eco aircraft will soon be produced there every year. However, the first plane will probably not roll out until the end of next year or early 2028. The D328eco is a small regional aircraft that can transport up to 40 passengers.

Until now, the company had only serviced the previous versions of the D328, which had not been produced for decades, in Bavaria. Now the company has developed a new modified variant, the D328eco/D328 MR (Multi Role), based on the D328 platform.

A pioneering project worth millions

The development of the aircraft and the construction of the hall at Leipzig/Halle Airport cost a total of around 500 million euros, 100 million of which went towards building the hall. It is the first time in around 20 years that an aircraft has been developed, produced and certified in Germany under its own control.

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TheFederal government involvedwith 125 million euros. However, the project was mainly financed by the US defense and aerospace company Sierra Nevada Corporation, which also wholly owns Deutsche Aircraft GmbH. Sierra Nevada Corporation is an important supplier to the US Air Force; the group only received one in autumn 2024$13.1 billionheavy contract to build the next generation of the so-called “Doomsday” aircraft.

German Aircraft: For paratroopers and Frontex pilots

With the resulting strategic relevance, it is not surprising that some variants of the multi-role aircraft also serve military purposes. The aircraft is primarily advertised as an environmentally friendly regional airlinerCustomize & schedule social media postsen, there are also some civilian variants for search and rescue or as a firefighting aircraft. At the same time on thewebsiteDeutsche Aircraft has already advertised a variant for reconnaissance and espionage and one as an aircraft for dropping paratroopers.

The predecessor to the D328eco, i.e. the D328-100, has been used by the European Border and Coast Guard since 2022Frontex usedto find fleeing people and stop the escape. The authorities often used pushback methods in which refugees were deported without an asylum examination procedure under the threat of violence. Deutsche Aircraft is also advertising a variant of the new D328eco specifically for border surveillance, such as that carried out by Frontex.

Leipzig threatens to become a major armaments location

With the increasing militarization of society, more and more arms companies are establishing themselves near Leipzig. Military machines could not only be built at Deutsche Aircraft in the future. A factory owned by the US-Israeli arms company Covenant, founded in 2024, is scheduled to be built near Leipzig Airport in 2027. 1,000 and later up to 5,000 “Anthem” cruise missiles with a range of 1,500 kilometers are to be built here every year.

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This was founded against this projectalliance“No rocket factory in Leipzig” from initiatives, parties, organizations and individuals. They are calling for the company to be stopped and are also criticizing the settlement of the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems in nearby Sangerhausen. The alliance has its first on September 19thdemonstrationorganized against the location.

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