Proud! RI Exports Military Aircraft to Nepal

Bandung, CNBC Indonesia - PT Dirgantara Indonesia exports one CN235-220 Military Transport aircraft to Nepal for the Nepalese Army. The aircraft is scheduled to arrive on November 2, 2019 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

On that aircraft, there will be an advanced Flight Training and Final Acceptance Flight by the Nepalese Army. The signing of the procurement contract for 1 (one) unit of CN235-220 Military Transport aircraft was carried out on June 16, 2017.

CN235-220 aircraft, is a multirole aircraft with a carrying capacity of 48 passengers that can be used for several missions, ranging from reconnaissance, maritime patrols and the transport of armed forces.

"So this aircraft can be used for several functions, there are 6 functions that are accepted for example regular transportation, medical, and cargo," Elfien said, Wednesday (10/30/2019).

As for some of the advantages of CN235-220 Military Transport Nepalese Army aircraft, namely Quick Change Configurations (Troop / Paratroop, VIP, Medical Evacuation, Passenger and Cargo), Full Glass Cockpit, Wide Rear Ramp Door, Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) 16,500 kg , Maximum Payload of 5,200 kg, Short Take Off Landing (STOL) 977 m, Endurance for ± 11 hours, and Multihop Capability Fuel Tank.

Multihop capability fuel tank technology enables airplanes to refill fuel unnecessary to continue flight to the next route.

Until now, PTDI has succeeded in producing and sending 68 units of CN235 aircraft for domestic and abroad, from a total of 285 units of the CN235 series population in the world.

 "We from Bandung have delivered and produced 68 aircraft. Even in Malaysia it is used for VIP purposes," Elfien said.

 The domestic operators using CN235 series aircraft are the Indonesian Air Force and the Navy. While foreign operators are Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, South Korea, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Senegal and Nepal.

Funding for CN235-220 aircraft exports

The CN235-220 Military Transport aircraft export program for the Nepalese Army financing part of its working capital is funded by the Indonesian Export Financing Agency (LPEI) or Indonesia Eximbank with a National Interest Account (NIA) scheme worth Rp 207 billion.

 NIA is a mandate given by the Government to LPEI to improve product competitiveness and encourage national strategic industries to export to non-traditional markets. LPEI also supports PTDI in penetrating markets in Africa and South Asia.

 LPEI Senior Executive Vice President I Yadi J. Ruchandi said that the performance of national industrial exports is very important for increasing the value of the trade balance, therefore efforts are needed to increase the value of exports both in terms of export volume and export destination markets.

 Yadi said the Government's role through LPEI to provide special financing could stimulate Indonesia's strategic industry to trade in non-traditional markets.

 PT DI's success in fulfilling the orders of the State of Nepal can increase interest for other countries in aircraft products made in Indonesia. The export of aircraft to Nepal has a strategic value for PT DI because overseas customer satisfaction is one of the main requirements in evaluating international tenders.

 "The support provided by LPEI to PT DI is a form of strategy to show that aircraft products made in Indonesia are able to compete in the international market," said Yadi.

 As one of the Government's fiscal tools, LPEI in accordance with its mandate will continue to unlock potential markets so that Indonesian exporters can penetrate markets to non-traditional countries and increase the capability of exporters to compete in the global market.