Indonesia Develops N 219 Ariplane

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of The National Aviation and Space Agency Gunawan S. Prabowo, said that currently, his team and state-owned aircraft company Dirgantara Indonesia are developing the N 219 aircraft. The budget for this research is Rp 400 billion (around US$34.43 million).

"For 2014, the budget is Rp 310 billion [around US$26.73 million] and for 2015, Rp 90 billion [around US$7.75 million]," said Gunawan after signing a cooperation agreement with Dirgantara Indonesia on Tuesday, February 25, 2014.

The N 219 will be equipped entirely with Indonesian technology. The technology used is based on the extensive research by aviation experts. The production process will involve domestic small enterprises. The 19 seat capacity plane is CASR 23 certified, perfect for airports with minimum infrastructure.

Head of the N 219 Development Program Agus Ari Wibowo, said that the plane has potential buyers, including Lion Air (100 units), Nusantara Buana (30 units), Papua and West Papua Regional Government (15 units), Aceh (six units), Sulawesi (six units), Riau (four units), Thailand (18 units) and the Indonesian Navy (nine to 15 units).

"The funding comes from the State Budget, so the profits will of course be returned to the state. The patent and trademark holders will be the state as well," he said.

Currently, the N 219 is at the first design phase. The project started in 2004 and it is targeted for completion in 2016. The N 219 is speculated to have an economic value of US$3.8 million. The plane uses two engines powered by 850 shaft horsepower each. The plane can do a short take off, so it only requires 500 to 600 meters of runway, and is designed to carry cargo.

NURUL MAHMUDAH