Indonesian Aircraft Manufacturer Dirgantara’s N219 Plane Ready to Fly

BANDUNG, KOMPAS.com – State-owned Indonesian aircraft manufacturer Dirgantara is set to unveil and sell its new N219 plane in 2021, after the aircraft officially received its type certificate.

The company announced that the aircraft obtained the certificate after passing a number of tests held by the Ministry of Transportation’s Civil Aviation Directorate General’s Airworthiness and Aircraft Operation Directorate or DKPPU.

“The DKPPU’s tests showed that the N219 has fulfilled the CASR Part 23 Airworthiness Standards for Aeroplanes in the Normal, Utility, Acrobatic or Commuter Category,” said DI Director of Technology and Development Gita Amperiawan on December 28.

“As the document to ensure the airplane’s safety and security, the type certificate is important in ensuring that [the N219] be flown by a crew and ridden by the public. The N219’s two prototypes have flown 393 flight cycles and 451 flight for the certification process.”

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Gita added that the development of the plane, which was christened Nurtanio by President Joko Widodo in 2017, occurred over the past few years.

“We started designing the N219 and applied for the type certificate in 2014. We then built the prototypes in 2016 and 2017 along with their integrated system process,” she said.

“We also started tests for the certificate in 2017. After we obtained the type certificate in 2020, we will enter the commercialization stage in 2021.”

“We plan to produce four N219s annually with the manufacturing facilities we currently have, though we plan modernize them in the near future," said Dirgantara President Director Elfien Goentoro.

"The aircraft is designed to meet our needs for connecting flights to the most remote parts of Indonesia. We hoped that successful sales of the N219 after the aircraft obtained its type certificate will revive the Indonesian aviation industry.”

He added that the N219 will be made in a number of versions.

“One of the N219 versions will be an amphibious aircraft that have a seaplane’s capabilities to take off from water as well as from an airport on land. We hope this amphibious version can reach maritime destinations throughout Indonesia.”

But Elfien noted that reaching this goal is nearly as long as the amount of time needed to obtain the N219’s type certificate, as it entails document certification, conformity inspection, laboratory test, ground test, flight test system and performance.

“We are currently drawing up preliminary designs of the amphibious version of the N219 before it enters the prototyping and structure test,” he said.

Dok PT Dirgantara Indonesia Second prototype of Dirgantaras N219 aircraft on a flight test in 2018

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“The aircraft will then go into the development flight test. We also hope to make [the N219] eligible for the ATC Award by 2024.”

Elfien said that the N219’s eligibility for the ATC Award will be a breakthrough, as it will be a first for a plane entirely manufactured in Indonesia.

Indonesian Minister for Research and Technology Bambang Brodjogoro is just as upbeat. “PT Surveyor Indonesia currently estimates that 44.69 percent of the N219’s components are made in Indonesia. We hope to increase this to more than 50 percent.”

He hoped to have small and medium industries nationwide manufacture the N219’s parts to meet this goal, and in doing so boost Indonesia’s economy.

(Writer: Reni Susanti, Bandung Contributor | Editor: Teuku Muhammad Valdy Arief)

Source: 

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/12/28/12292711/pesawat-n219-lolos-sertifikasi-masuk-tahap-komersialisasi-pada-2021?page=all#page2.