The HFB320 is a 10-seat executive jet aircraft of which a total of 45 were built by Hamburger Flugzeugbau between 1964 and 1973.
The most notable feature of the aircraft is the forward swept wings which are mid-placed on the fuselage. This arrangement allows the wing spar to pass through the fuselage behind the passenger cabin without adversely effecting available space.
The prototype HFB320 first flew on April 21 1964. This was followed by a second prototype on October 19 1964. On May 12 1965 the first prototype was lost in accident which after investigation was shown to be a design issue with the T-tail leading to modification to improve the aircrafts stall performance. The first ten production aircraft were laid down in May 1965 with the first of these flying on February 2 1966. This aircraft and the following two joined the certification programme with this being achieved in 1967. The first delivery to a customer was to General Air of Hamburg in March 1968. The Luftwaffe ordered 13 HFB320s in 1963. As part of the evaluation of the type, two production aircraft were delivered to the Est61 wing at Oberpfaffenhoffen in 1966. Production deliveries for use as VIP transports commenced in 1969.
Increased competition from newer executive jet models and a poor safety record led to dwindelling order book and production ceased in 1973.
