State-owned aircraft
maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) has signed a deal with Spain-based
Airbus Military to revise its proposed C212-400 aircraft to include
more seats and new equipment.
The aircraft, to be renamed the
NC212, will be offered to both military and civilian customers and come
equipped with new avionics and autopilot systems. The NC212 will have
28 passenger seats, up from the current 25.
“We will work
together to manufacture and market the NC212 aircraft worldwide,
offering modern, very competitive light military and civil aircraft that
will result in strengthening the position of PT DI as a leading player
in the Southeast Asia region,” PT DI president director Budi Santoso
said on the sidelines of the signing ceremony on Thursday during the
Indo Defence 2012 Expo & Forum at the JIExpo in Kemayoran, Jakarta.
“The
aircraft will be manufactured in our facility in Bandung [West Java].
We are going to spend US$15 million to upgrade the facility to be able
to create the new aircraft.”
The companies have had in place
joint working teams at PT DI’s facilities in Bandung, including Airbus
Military personnel deployed on-site, since October 2011.
Budi
said that the firm would like to capture about 30 percent of the total
potential market for the medium transport aircraft of 400 to 450 units
over the next decade.
“We expect to start production of the new
aircraft in the next 18 months, because we need to upgrade our
facilities first. We plan to produce five to six aircraft a year,” he
added.
Budi said that he was optimistic about grabbing a 30
percent market share since the company had received assistance from the
Defense Ministry to promote its products to ASEAN member nations and
could also take advantage of Airbus Military’s worldwide networks.
Also
at the expo, Ignacio Alonso, Airbus Military’s senior vice president
for commercial, strategy and industrial relations for Asia, said the
collaboration would yield growth for both companies and that Airbus
Military was committed to long-term cooperation with PT DI.
“This
is the further proof of our increased cooperation with Indonesia. With
the continued support of the Indonesian government, PT DI and Airbus
Military will be able to achieve many great things together,” he said.
While
the companies have yet to receive external NC212 orders, Alonso said
that many customers have shown interest in the aircraft.
“That is
why we launched it. We do not have a contract to sign but we have
signed a Letter of Intent with different nations,” he added.
PT
DI has secured a domestic contract worth Rp 8.2 trillion ($862.64
million) for the purchase of 40 airplanes and helicopters for the
Indonesian Military (TNI) this year.
The contract, its
largest-ever domestically, calls for nine CN-295 twin-turboprop tactical
military transport aircraft and six EC-725 long-range tactical
transport helicopters for the Air Force as well as 25 Bell-412EP utility
helicopters for the Army.
Last year, PT DI delivered three
Bell-412EPs to the Navy, four to the Army and two Eurocopter AS-332
Super Puma four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-size utility helicopters to
the Air Force.
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