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Dirgantara awaiting $30m cash injection for N-219 project
Aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia says it is waiting to receive a US$30 million government cash injection that would allow it to start production on its new N-219 twin propeller passenger aircraft, a company official says
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ircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia says it is waiting to receive a US$30 million government cash injection that would allow it to start production on its new N-219 twin propeller passenger aircraft, a company official says.
“The government has made a pledge. The Finance Ministry will channel the funds,” technology developer Dita Ardonni Jafri said on Thursday.
The aircraft will meet the demand for a reliable inter-island small aircraft, Dita said.
He said the company hoped it could receive the money by August so that it could build two N-219 prototypes by 2014.
“Hopefully, we will be able to fly the plane before the state administration changeover. After that, we can produce between one and two units a month,” Dita said.
The company has received an order for 20 units of N-219 from Merpati Airlines, which is looking to replace its fleet of Twin Otter aircraft.
“They need new aircraft to replace the old ones,” PT Dirgantara Director Budi Santoso said, adding that the new aircraft would be delivered in 2015.
The company is working with Airbus Military and Spain to gain certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Airbus Military is a business unit of Airbus.
PT Dirgantara is one of the main suppliers of aircraft components for Airbus Military for light and medium transport aircraft, such as the NC-212 and CN-235, surveillance aircraft and the Eurocopter.
“The N-219 has a lower production cost than the NC-212,” Budi said.
The N-219 is claimed to have the largest cabin volume in its class, along with a flexible door system to allow for multi-purpose missions for transporting passengers and cargo.
The 19-seater aircraft is said to be a competitor of Canada’s Viking and China’s Harbin Y-12.
Separately, Indonesian Army Deputy Chief Leu. Gen. Budiman said they expected PT Dirgantara to supply a large number of helicopters.
The units will be part of the 200 helicopters the army will need until 2024, he said.
However, he said the two sides had not reached an agreement on the value of the contract.
“The merit of buying from home is that foreign exchange is not going overseas. We support a home military defense industry,” he said.
