A CN-235 MPA of the Indonesian Navy at the Singapore Airshow 2016. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)
The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) has awarded a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract to upgrade three Indonesian Navy aircraft with enhanced maritime surveillance systems.
Under the contract, Oregon-based Integrated Surveillance and Defense (ISD) will upgrade two Indonesian Navy-operated Dirgantara CN-235-220/CN-235-220 MP maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and modify one King Air 350i aircraft with “proven maritime surveillance systems”, said the company in a statement provided to Janes on 19 March.
“The ISD solution will consist of the installation and integration of a maritime surveillance radar, [an] electro-optical/infrared sensor, [an] airborne Automatic Identification System (AIS), [a] mission management system (MMS), and datalink communications,” reads the statement.
The contract's period of performance and delivery will be 24 months, the company added, without giving further specifics on the systems that will be provided or the value of the contract.
Indonesia's naval aviation centre operates a fleet of six CN-235-220 MPAs, and all airframes are based with the navy's Air Squadron 800 in Juanda, Surabaya.
The aircraft has an operational speed of 236 kt (437 km/h), a service ceiling of 25,000 ft (7,620 m), and a range of 1,565 n miles (2,898 km). It is powered by two General Electric CT7-9C turboprop engines.
Besides the six CN-235s in the MPA configuration, the Indonesian Navy also operates a fleet of two other aircraft of the type for transport and utility purposes.
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