State-owned Aircraft Manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia Delivers Aircraft to Senegal
Source: kemenkeu.go.id
Indonesian aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) on Friday (19/3) has exported one unit of CN235-220 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) worth Rp354 billion to the Senegalese Air Force on a Ferry Flight activity from the company’s fixed-wing hangar in West Java provincial capital of Bandung.
“Alhamdulillah, PT DI has succeeded in making its first export in early 2021 amid the current situation. By handing over the third CN235 aircraft, it is expected to help improve the performance of Senegalese Air Force in every air operation. We are proud of the trust the Senegalese Government has given to PT DI so far,” PT DI President Director Elfien Goentoro said.
The CN235-220 MPA aircraft has several advantages, including the ability to take off with a short distance with unpaved and grassy runways, to fly for eight hours with a glass cockpit avionics system, an autopilot system, and a winglet on the wingtips to make it more stable and fuel efficient.
The aircraft is also equipped with a Tactical Console (TACCO), 360 Search Radar that can detect small targets up to 200 NM (Nautical Mile), and the Automatic Identification System (AIS) – an automatic tracking system to identify suspicious object positions.
Meanwhile, there is also Forward-Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) to detect and classify targets, as well as a recorder system to monitor the situation around the flying area for mission evaluation, both in day and night conditions.
To date, PT DI has succeeded in producing and exporting 69 units of CN235 aircraft for domestic and overseas purposes. Out of 286 units, currently, PT DI is the only aircraft manufacturing industry in the world that produces CN235 aircraft.
As quoted from Ministry of Finance website, some of PT DI’s working capital in making this aircraft is funded by the Indonesian Export Financing Agency (LPEI) or Indonesia Eximbank through the National Interest Account (NIA) scheme.
This scheme is a form of special assignment from Ministry of Finance to provide aircraft export financing to the African and South Asian markets. This financing also takes into account the economic and social impacts, including the absorption of a workforce of more than 4,000 people and the expansion of Indonesia’s export destination countries to non-traditional markets.
“The special assignment to the LPEI is a form of the Government’s efforts in increasing export competitiveness, especially in strategic industries. Moreover, the Government is currently encouraging the national industry to carry out export activities to new export destination countries,” Secretary of the LPEI Agus Windiarto said.
The exports of aircraft to Senegal are considered to have strategic value for the national industry since the supply record of export orders and overseas customer satisfaction becomes the main requirements in the evaluation of international tenders. The project is also one of the strategic measures to enter the African and South Asian markets. (PR of Ministry of Finance/UN) (RIF/MUR)
