The Indonesian defence ministry has confirmed an order for three Indonesia Aerospace CN-235-220 maritime patrol aircraft for its navy.
The deal is worth around $80 million and the service is expected to follow up with an order for another three aircraft in a year. The Indonesian navy had also approached several Western manufacturers in its search for a new MPA.
State-owned IAe manufactures C-212 and CN-235 aircraft under licence from Spanish aircraft-maker Casa, which is now part of Airbus Military.
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Indonesia's air force already operates one CN-235 in the maritime patrol role, while its navy has three C-212s supporting the nation's "eye in the sky" joint patrol mission from Tanjung Pinang in Indonesia's Riau province near the Malacca Strait, say industry sources.
Piracy in the Malacca Straits has decreased substantially in recent years, thanks to more co-ordinated patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. But governments in the region are still under pressure to strengthen their efforts.
Indonesian CN-235 MPAs are equipped with Thales' AMASCOS system, including the Thales/EADS Ocean Master Mk II search radar, thermal imaging from Thales, Elettronica's ALR 733 radar warning receiver, and CAE's AN/ASQ-508 magnetic anomaly detection system. They can also have MBDA's AM-39 Exocet missiles, or Raytheon's Mk 46 light torpedoes.
Source: Flight International
