Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – A CN235-220 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) produced by Indonesian aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia arrived in Dakar on Tuesday (March 30).

The arrival of the aircraft purchased by the Senegalese Air Force was welcomed by the Staff Chief of the Senegalese Air Force, BG Papa Souleymane SARR, and the Indonesian Ambassador to Senegal, Dindin Wahyudin.

"This cooperation shows the strong relationship between Indonesia and Senegal, which has been built since the Asia-Africa Conference 65 years ago," said Ambassador Dindin.

Before arriving in Dakar, CN235-220 MPA departed from PT DI’s base in Bandung, West Java province, via 12 countries and made stops in India, Qatar, Sudan, Chad and Niger.

With 10 air crew members aboard the aircraft, the overall flight time reached 12 days.

The CN235-220 MPA made by PT DI has several advantages, including being able to take off in a short distance with unpaved and grassy runways; able to fly for eight hours with an avionic glass cockpit system and autopilot; and has winglets on the wingtips so it is more stable and fuel efficient.

The aircraft is also equipped with Tactical Console (TACCO), 360-degree Search Radar which can detect targets up to 200 NM (Nautical Mile); Automatic Identification System (AIS) to identify ships so that suspicious object positions can be acquired.

The CN235-220 MPA also has Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) to detect and classify targets, and is able to record situations around the flying area for mission evaluation, both in day and night conditions.

The CN235-220 MPA is planned to be used by the Senegal Air Force for patrol missions.

Earlier, Senegal had purchased similar aircraft in 2011 and 2014.

The third purchase contract for CN235-220 MPA was signed in 2017, and was originally due for submission in September last year. However, the delivery was delayed until March 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reporting by Indonesia Window