Airbus Military and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) have signed an agreement to jointly launch an upgraded version of the Airbus Military C212-400 as a further step in their long-term cooperation agreement. The aircraft, renamed as NC212, will be offered to both civil and military customers and will be a highly competitive offer in the market segment of light aircraft, being equipped with new digital avionics and autopilot systems. It will also have a new civil interior for up to 28 passengers compared to the current 25, increasing its cost efficiency significantly. The NC212 will be EASA and FAA FAR 25 certified.

The agreement foresees joint development, manufacturing, commercialisation and customer support to cover the needs of the civilian, cargo and military light aircraft market segments for the next decade. The potential market in this segment is estimated at 400-450 aircraft in the next 10 years. A final assembly line is to be set up in the PT DI facilities in Bandung. This is a further step towards increasing the cooperation between the two long-standing partners.

The NC212 is the second immediate result of the “Teaming Agreement” signed between Airbus Military and PT DI, which supports PT DI’s revitalisation through specific cooperation and business development projects, and aims to achieve a long-term strategic partnership between Airbus Military and PT DI in the near future. The recent order for nine CN295s from the Indonesian Government and the related C295 cooperation packages between Airbus Military and PT DI were the first immediate results of this plan, including the creation of a CN295 Delivery Centre, a light CN295 Final Assembly Line and the setting up of a Service Centre in Bandung.