HFB 320 Hansa Jet
Hamburger Flugzeugbau · Germany · first flew 1964 · light aircraft
The HFB 320 Hansa Jet was a West German executive jet distinguished by its forward-swept wing — an aerodynamic rarity chosen to move the main spar behind the cabin, freeing up an unobstructed fuselage. It was the first jet aircraft with a forward-swept wing to enter production.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Twin turbojets mounted aft on rear fuselage flanks |
| T — Tail | T-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Forward-swept wings — unique among production jets of its era
- Twin turbojets mounted aft on rear fuselage flanks
- T-tail with pronounced dihedral on horizontal stabiliser
The sharply forward-swept wing is the key recognition feature — no other production business jet of the era shared it. The aft-mounted engines and T-tail give a clean, tadpole silhouette in plan view.
Specifications
- The HFB 320 Hansa Jet has a length of 16.61 m (54 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 14.49 m (48 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 820 km/h (510 mph).
- Typical crew: 2 crew, up to 12 passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Development began at Hamburger Flugzeugbau in the early 1960s, with the prototype flying on 21 April 1964. The forward-swept wing was a genuine engineering achievement, though it required careful structural design to prevent aeroelastic divergence. Certificated in 1967, production ran to just over 40 aircraft.
Variants
The baseline HFB 320 was the only production variant; a military liaison and calibration version was evaluated but not produced in quantity. The German Air Force operated several for flight inspection duties.
Where you'll see it
Operators included Lufthansa for crew training and several German corporate customers; the type was also evaluated by the US government. Low production numbers and high operating costs limited its commercial success.
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