HISTORY
Dornier
Flugzeugwerke
was a German
aircraft
manufacturer founded in
Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claudius
Dornier. Over the course of its long
lifespan, the company produced many
notable designs for both the civil
and military markets.
Originally
Dornier Metallbau,
Dornier Flugzeugwerke took
over Flugzeugbau
Friedrichshafen production
facilities (Weingarten,
Warnemünde, and the former
Zeppelin shed at Manzell)
when it failed in 1923.
Dornier
rose to prominence in the
1920s and 1930s as a
manufacturer of large,
all-metal flying boats,
including the 1924 Wal
(English: Whale) and the Do
X. Dornier also built a
series of successful land
planes, including the Komet
(Comet)
and Merkur (Mercury)
that were used by Luft Hansa
and other European carriers
during the 1920s and early
30s. Dornier built its
aircraft outside Germany
during much of this period,
in compliance with the
restrictions placed on
German aircraft
manufacturers by the Treaty
of Versailles. Foreign
factories licence-building
Dornier products included
CMASA and Piaggio in Italy,
CASA in Spain, Kawasaki in
Japan, and Aviolanda in the
Netherlands. Once the Nazi
government came to power and
abandoned the treaty's
restrictions, Dornier
resumed production in
Germany.
Dornier's most significant
military aircraft design
before and during World War
II was the Do 17, nicknamed
The Flying Pencil.
It was developed and first
flown in 1934 as a
commercial aircraft in
competition for a Lufthansa
contract. Due to its narrow
fuselage (hence its
nickname) it was not
commercially attractive and
was passed over by
Lufthansa. Dornier then
further developed it as a
military aircraft with a
prototype bomber first
flying in 1935. It was
employed by Rebel forces in
1937 during the Spanish
Civil War. Production
continued within Germany and
this versatile two-engined
aircraft was developed by
the Luftwaffe into multiple
combat variations. The
medium bomber variant saw
much service during the
early part of World War II
including extensive use in
the Battle of Britain. It
was later developed into an
effective nightfighter to
defend Germany from the RAF
bomber offensive. Dornier
developed the successful Do
217 based on the Do 17;
ostensibly looking like its
younger sibling, this larger
and much heavier bomber was
in fact a completely new
design. Of note, Dornier
also developed the fastest
piston-engined fighter of
the war, the two-engined Do
335, introduced too late to
enter combat service.
Dornier's history of
successful flying boats (the
"Wal" family) lead to new
models that saw service in
several armed forces around
the world as well as
Germany, including the Do
22, Do 18, and Do 24.
After WWII, aircraft
production was again
forbidden in Germany, and
Dornier relocated to Spain
and then to Switzerland
where the firm provided
aeronautical consultancy
services until once again
returning to Germany in
1954. Post-war, Dornier
quickly re-established
itself with highly
successful small STOL
transports such as the Do 27
and Do 28. Additionally, in
1974 it developed the Alpha
Jet as part of a joint
venture with French aircraft
manufacturers
Dassault-Breguet. The plane
was well received and
established itself as the
new standard NATO
trainer during the 1970s and
80s.
In
1985, Dornier became a
member of the Daimler-Benz
group integrating its
aeronautic assets with the
parent company. As part of
this transaction, Lindauer
Dornier GmbH was spun off,
creating a separate,
family-owned firm,
concentrating on textile
machinery design and
manufacturing. The rest of
the company was split into
several subsidiaries for
defence, satellites, medtech
and aircraft.
In 1996, the majority of
Dornier Aircraft was
acquired by Fairchild
Aircraft, forming
Fairchild Dornier.
This company became
insolvent in early 2002.
Production of its 328 Jet
was acquired by US company
Avcraft. Asian interests
continued to show interest
in its 728 version in
August, 2004, but production
had not restarted. The other
subsidiaries became part of
the EADS, the medtech
division was sold to an
investment company and now
bears the name
Dornier MedTech.
Dornier Medtech manufactures
medical equipment, such as
the
Dornier S lithotriptor,
HM3, Compact Delta to treat
kidney stones. Dornier
MedTech also manufactures
laser devices for a wide
range of applications.
Source:
Wikipedia
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