Airbus Military has today signed a firm contract with PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) to supply nine C295 military transport aircraft to the Indonesian Ministry of Defense.
The contract between PT DI and the Ministry of Defense of Indonesia was signed simultaneously, witnessed by Minister of Defence, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, and the Chief of Armed Forces, Admiral Agus Suhartono, at a ceremony at the Singapore Airshow. The Indonesian designation of the aircraft will be CN295.
The aircraft will be operated by the Indonesian Air Force throughout the vast territory of Indonesia, which includes around 17 000 islands, Airbus said. The aircraft will perform a variety of tasks including military, logistical, humanitarian and medical evacuation missions. The first delivery is foreseen in 2012 and by summer 2014 all aircraft will have been delivered.
Additionally, the industrial plan covers a substantial collaboration between PT DI and Airbus Military for the C295 programme, including the manufacturing of the tail empennage, rear fuselage and fuselage panels, as well as work packages for the development of Computer Based Training systems and the creation of a service and delivery centre and a final assembly line (FAL) in Indonesia.
“This is a proud moment for our country as well as for the Indonesian aerospace industry. The C295 provides the ideal capacity to respond to Indonesia´s current and future military and humanitarian transport needs and does so very cost-efficiently, with full participation of the Indonesian aerospace industry, creating high skilled jobs and technology transfer,” said His Excellency Prof. Dr. Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Minister of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia.
“This contract builds on the long and excellent partnership that exists between Airbus Military and the Indonesian aerospace industry. It will provide our country with the right capability for the years to come and allows PT DI to grow its aerospace business as a tier 1 supplier. This will position PTDI on the global aerospace scene and allow us to enhance our skills and workforce,” said Budi Santoso, President and CEO of PT DI.
“Airbus Military is honoured that the Indonesian Ministry of Defence has chosen the C295 for its fleet and we look forward to continue our successful partnership with PT DI. We will ensure that we live up to this mark of confidence, which demonstrates the value that the C295 provides to the armed forces around the world”, said Domingo Urena-Raso, President and CEO of Airbus Military.
Over 85 C295s are in service today with 14 different operators. Recent customers include Ghana (which received the first of two in November last year) and Egypt, which received its first example in September last year. Airbus Military is also proposing a C295 variant to South Africa for its maritime patrol aircraft requirement.
C295s in service today have accumulated more than 110 000 flying hours.
