State-owned aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) is finalising the sale of four CN235-220 transport aircraft to the Nigerian military.
The company made the revelation during the Singapore Air Show last week. PTDI said it continues to penetrate the African market, and “is currently in the process of obtaining a new procurement contract for four units of the CN235-220 multipurpose aircraft with Allied Aeronautics Limited (AAL), a local company in Nigeria for the Nigerian Army end user.”
This will be the first export order obtained by PTDI in 2024, expanding the market in the African region and opening a new footprint in Nigeria.
To date, PTDI has sold 70 CN235 aircraft to customers around the globe, including to Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.
“This order from Nigeria will then underscore Indonesia’s role as a significant defence partner on the African continent and its capabilities in defence manufacturing,” PTDI said. “This new contract for Nigeria is also one of our strategic steps to penetrate the markets of South Asian and African countries.”
The CN235-220 has a maximum take-off weight of 16 500 kg and can carry payloads of up to 5 200 kg. This can include 49 fully equipped soldiers or up to 34 paratroopers for airborne insertion operations. Alternatively, up to 18 stretchers for medical evacuation and disaster relief missions can be fitted.
Powered by two General Electric CT7-9C engines driving two four-bladed Hamilton Standard HS 14 RF-21 propellers, the aircraft can reach a maximum speed of 237 knots (440 km/h) with an economical cruise speed of 169 knots (312 km/h), according to PTDI.
“The Indonesian-made CN235-220 aircraft is increasingly in demand by many countries,” PTDI said. “This aircraft was developed independently by PTDI through technology transfer cooperation with CASA Spain in 1980. The CN235-220 aircraft has a number of advantages, including the ability to take off from short, unpaved and grassy runways, with a glass cockpit avionics system, autopilot, accompanied by ramp doors and winglets at each wingtip for better stability and fuel economy.”
