PT DI aims to win Korean tender for 8 maritime patrol aircraft

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 05/31/2008 12:08 PM  |  Business

State-owned aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia aims to win a South Korean tender to build eight maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) through a swap deal, an executive says.

"South Korea's representative told us they might have us make MPAs for them if we buy their spare parts for our planes," Dirgantara president Budi Santoso said Friday.

Budi did not reveal the type of MPAs to be included in the tender, but said he was confident they would be able to deliver on the order, citing Dirgantara's experience in manufacturing aircraft.

Dirgantara currently produces an MPA called the Super Puma, which is based on the NAS-332 helicopter, which has a 20-seat capacity, 150 knots maximum speed, 1,017 pound/hour fuel consumption and a gross weight of 18,960 pounds.

Budi said the US$18 million (Rp 167 billion) NAS-332 could be sold for $30 million once it had been modified into a Super Puma, or $45 million if equipped with anti-submarine weapons.

The Super Puma has been in production since 1976. As of 2005, the company had delivered 18 Super Pumas.

Budi said that Dirgantara, which also supplies military aircraft to the Indonesian Air Force, planned to discuss the tender with the Defense Ministry, especially in reference to the swap deal, which is an included condition.

The tender was originally to be held by the end of May this year, but has been delayed.

"It (the delay) could take a while, the focus is to approach the defense ministry to discuss in particular the swap deal," Budi said, adding that Dirgantara would in the meantime continue to make necessary preparations with the South Korea representative.

Dirgantara was founded in 1976 and provides aircraft design, development and assembly for commercial and military planes and spare parts.

In addition to the Super Puma, Dirgantara unveiled last January an MPA version of the CN-235, a transport aircraft priced at $30 million per unit. Next Tuesday, Dirgantara will deliver the modified aircraft to the Indonesian Air Force at Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport in East Jakarta.

The plane is equipped with a nighttime infrared guidance system, and can track ships within a 100-mile radius.

The company has sold 27 modified CN-235 units world wide at a cost of $14 million each, including to the U.S. Coast Guard, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.

Dirgantara plans to complete 15 sets of Airbus A380 wing components and parts this year, with 25 more sets to follow within the next three years. (anw)

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