TSAMTO, March 30. The Malaysian Air Force received the first CN-235-220M military transport aircraft, converted into a version of the MSA (Maritime Surveillance Aircraft) maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
The type certificate for the aircraft was officially handed over to the Malaysian Air Force Command during the Defense Service Asia (DSA) 2022 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur on March 28 by the president of the Indonesian state company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) Geeta Amperiawan.
The certificate is required for the support, operation and maintenance of the new version of the aircraft. The next two converted cars are scheduled to be delivered to the customer in April and May 2022.
As already reported by TSAMTO, in February 2020, it became known about the intention of the Malaysian Armed Forces to convert two (later three) CN-235-220M supplied by the Indonesian company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) into a version of the MSA maritime patrol aircraft equipped with combat systems provided by the United States as part of the "Maritime Security Initiative in the South-EastEast Asia" (Maritime Security Initiative – MSI). Prior to the conversion to the MSA version, 7 CN-235-220M aircraft in transport and multi-purpose versions were in service with the 1st Squadron of the Malaysian Air Force.
The first CN-235-220M aircraft departed from Subang Air Base (Malaysia) to Hussein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung (Indonesia) for modernization on September 2, 2020, the second – on September 30, 2020, the third – on March 22, 2021. The conversion of the first car began immediately in September 2020 after arrival.
PTDI has already implemented a program to extend the service life of the CN-235-220M of the Malaysian Navy under the maintenance and repair contract signed in April 2018. The conversion of three BTA aircraft to the version of the maritime patrol aircraft is an option to the contract concluded with PTDI in the amount of $ 30 million, but it was not implemented immediately due to lack of funds.
In February 2020, it was reported that the modification was supposed to begin in April/May of the same year, but the timing was changed due to the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions to Indonesia.
The project involves re-equipping three CN-235-220M of the Malaysian Navy with equipment provided by the United States as part of the American "Maritime Security Initiative in Southeast Asia". As expected, during the modernization, the aircraft will be equipped with a marine radar, an infrared front-view system (FLIR), an electronic intelligence system and an advanced automatic identification system (AIS).
Aircraft conversion is carried out by American companies Science and Engineering Services International and Integrated Surveillance and Defense Inc. with the participation of Indonesian PTDI as the manufacturer of the aircraft.
Modification of the CN-235-220M to the MSA platform will be the second project implemented by the USA and Malaysia as part of the MSI initiative. In May 2020, the Malaysian Navy received the first six of the 12 free-of-charge ScanIgl UAVs from Insitu. It is expected that the remaining six UAVs will be transferred in 2022.
