SME Aviation has become the first Malaysian airframe manufacturer to produce an aircraft for export, having won US type certification and production approval for its two-seat MD3-160 Aero Tiga aerobatic trainer.
Selangor-based SME heralds the development as a watershed for the local aircraft industry, claiming that "this is the beginning of Malaysia's blueprint on aerospace", transforming it from a maintenance centre into an international manufacturing hub.
The certificates are provided for under the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA), which was signed between Malaysia and the USA in May 1996. The BASA gives US recognition to the Malaysian aviation industry through a process of technical evaluation and acceptance of its practices. "Because of BASA, our industry can now go global," says SME.
The SME group has set up a joint venture in the USA with Florida-based Aero Associates. Called SME Aero, the company will market and distribute the aircraft in North America. "Our objective is to get as many aircraft flying in Indonesia as we can, so we can iron out any kinks. Then, in around 1999, we start to sell the aircraft to the US market," says SME Aero chairman Richard Ledson.
The Aero Tiga, which is priced at around $200,000, will be targeted at training schools, government and law-enforcement agencies and maritime patrol. "We anticipate a market of around 20 aircraft a year in 1999," adds Ledson.
To date, SME Aviation has received 35 orders for the Aero Tiga from the Indonesian Government. The Royal Malaysian Air Force has five aircraft in service, while the transport ministry is due to take its first five on 1 December. The company is also exploring the possibility of manufacturing a nine-seat variant.
Source: Flight International
