Dornier Do 27

Background Shortly following the end of the Second World War, Germany's extensive aerospace industry was dismantled and largely dissolved due to the country having been forbidden to either possess or manufacture military aircraft. Despite this, in both East Germany and West Germany, as the nation had been divided into during the Cold War era, efforts to revive the nation's aerospace industry became widespread during the 1950s. German aircraft manufacturer Dornier GmbH managed to retain its independence in the conflict's aftermath, and was keen to resume its aviation activities as soon as permissible. During January 1951, the company chose to establish a new technical office in Madrid, Spain, and began bidding for contracts from Spain's Ministry of Aviation; prior to this, Dornier had developed strong ties to Spain via the licensed production of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter. Dornier opted to develop a new aircraft, designing a monoplane with a high-mounted wing fitted with oversized flaps, a wide wraparound windscreen, a fixed undercarriage and a relatively spacious cabin. A total of 40 Do 27s were manufactured in Spain by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA, designated CASA-127. During 1966, it was decided to terminate production of the Do 27. By this point, the aircraft had been widely exported to numerous international operators, including Israel, Nigeria, Belgium, Turkey, and Congo. The type was extensively used by the German military into the 1980s, gradually being succeeded in its role by increasingly capable helicopters; many ex-German aircraft were subsequently exported and used by other operators. == Operational history ==

In 1959, a Do 27 became the first aircraft ever to land on the Caribbean island of Saba, on what is still to this day the shortest commercial runway in the world. ==Variants==

. ;Do 25 : Precursor aircraft designed to a Spanish requirement and powered by a ENMA Tigre G.V engine. ;Do 27 :Prototype, two built. ;Do 27A-1 :Military five-seat single-engine STOL utility transport aircraft, 177 built ;Do 27A-2 :Do 27A-1 with minor modification inside, two built. ;Do 27A-3 :Do 27A-1 with increased takeoff gross weight, 88 built. ;Do 27A-4 :Variant with wide landing gear and increased Take Off Gross Weight, 65 built. ;Do 27B-1 :Dual-control version of the A-1, 86 built. ;Do 27B-2 :Do 27B-2 with minor modification inside, five built. ;Do 27B-3 :Do 27B-2 with increased takeoff gross weight, 16 built. ;Do 27B-5 :Conversions of 27B-3s to 27A-4 standard. ;Do 27H-1 :Do 27B-2 powered by a 254 kW (340 hp) Avco Lycoming GSO-480 piston engine with a three-bladed propeller and a larger tail, one built. ;Do 27H-2 :Variant of the H-1 for the Swiss Air Force with some modifications as applied to the Do 27Q-1 ;Do 27J-1 :Production of the Do 27A-4 for Belgian Army, 12 built. ;Do 27K-1 :Production of the Do 27A-4 for Portuguese Air Force, 16 built. ;Do 27K-2 :Similar to K-1 with minor modifications for Portuguese Air Force, 14 built. ;Do 27Q-1 :Six-seat variant of the A-1 for civil market, 16 built. ;Do 27Q-3 :Four-seat variant of the Q-1 with a 230 hp Continental O-470K engine, one built. ;Do 27Q-4 :Improved Q-1 with auxiliary fuel tanks, 34 built. ;Do 27Q-5 :Improved Q-4 with internal modifications, 12 built. ;Do 27Q-5(R) :Restricted category version of the Do 27Q-5. ;Do 27Q-6 :Variant of the Q-5 with internal changes for Guinea Bissau and Brazil, two built. ;Do 27S-1 :Floatplane version with enlarged rudder and a ventral fin, one built. ;Do 27T :One Do 27Q-4 converted with a Turbomeca Astazou II turboprop engine. ==Operators==

Civil operators ; • General Command of Mapping (Turkey) '''''' • Linhas Aéreas da Guiné-Bissau Military operators ; • National Air Force of Angola ; • Belgian Army ; • Belize Defence Force ; ; • Cyprus Air Forces – Former operator. ; ; • German Air Force • German Army • German Navy ; • Guinea-Bissau Air Force ; • Israeli Air Force ; • Lesotho Defence Force ; • Military of Malawi ; • Military of Mozambique ; • Nigerian Air Force operated 20 Do 27As at the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War ; • Portuguese Air Force operated 146 aircraft ; ; • South African Air Force operated 2 aircraft between 1958 and 1967. ; • Spanish Air Force ; • Sudanese Air Force ; • Swedish Army operated 5 aircraft between 1961 and 1991 ; • Swiss Air Force ; • Tanzania Air Force Command ; • Turkish Army • Turkish Gendarmerie ==Specifications (Do 27A)==

Do 27 on display in the Deutsches Museum ==See also==