Indonesia-Made CN235-220 Airplane Arrives in Senegal

Arrival of CN-235 in Senegal (Source: Indonesian Embassy in Dakar/PR of Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

CN235-220 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) manufactured by Indonesian state-owned aircraft company PT Dirgantara Indonesia Tuesday (30/03) arrived in the Senegal capital of Dakar.

The arrival of the plane bought by Senegal Air Force was welcomed by the Chief of Staff of Senegal Air Force BG Papa Souleymane SARR and Indonesian Ambassador to Senegal Dindin Wahyudin.

On that occasion, Dindin expressed thanks for the trust of Senegal Air Force to use a plane manufactured by Indonesia, adding that the move becomes a symbol of improved cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the strategic industry and military sectors.

“This cooperation serves as important evidence of the robust relationship of Indonesia and Senegal that has been built since the Asian-African Conference 65 years ago,” said Dindin.

Before arriving in Dakar, CN235-220 MPA that departed from the provincial capital of West Java, Bandung, flew through 12 countries and had a layover in India, Qatar, Sudan, Chad, and Niger.

The plane, which carried 10 cabin crews, took 12 days to arrive.

For the record, the plane has several strengths: it can take off from a short, non-asphalt, and grassy runway, fly for eight hours with a glass cockpit avionic system and autopilot, and fly more firmly with less fuel due to the winglets at the end of the wings.

CN235-220 MPA is also complemented with Tactical Console (TACCO), 360-degree Search Radar that can detect small targets up to 20 NM (nautical mile), and Automatic Identification System (AIS), an automatic tracking system to identify planes, so it can detect the position of suspicious objects.

The plane also has Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) to detect and classify targets, as well as record the situation around the flying area for mission evaluation both in daytime and during nighttime.

At first, CN-235-220 MPA was planned to be used for Senegal Air Force patrols.

The West African country has previously purchased similar planes back in 2011 and 2014. As for the third purchase, the contract was made in 2017 and the purchase was supposed to be handed over in September last year, but following the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery was delayed until March this year. (Embassy of Indonesia in Dakar/PR of Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Ministry of Finance/UN) (DH/EP)