After PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) succeeded in completing the conversion of the Malaysian Air Force's (TUDM) inaugural CN-235-200 unit on March 28, 2022, it is now time to hand over the Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) to TUDM. However, the submission was not made by PT DI.
Apparently the one who handed over the CN-235 220 transport variant which was converted into the MPA variant was the United States Navy (US Navy). Quoted from southernmarylandchronicle.com (4/8/2022), it is stated that the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division has delivered the first Malaysian Force CN-235 multipurpose military transport aircraft converted into a maritime patrol platform.
Worked by PT DI, this handover is only three and a half years after the US signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance to begin improving the capability and interoperability of US and Malaysian troops.
This conversion program is facilitated by the US Navy Building Partner Capacity program, which is in line with the US government's Maritime Security Initiative, which is intended to assist the Malaysian government in enhancing maritime security and maritime domain awareness in the Malaysian Exclusive Economic Zone.
The project to integrate Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) upgrades into aircraft was carried out by TUDM in collaboration with the Naval Air Systems Command Security Cooperation Office and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) AIRWorks.
Upgrades include a maritime surveillance mission suite, maritime surveillance radar, electro-optical infrared dome, line-of-sight datalink, and roll-on/roll-off mission system operator station.
Arriving in Bandung in early September 2020, a CN-235-200 unit belonging to the Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) has successfully undergone the conversion program. While the other two aircraft are targeted for completion and delivery in April and May 2022.
The three converted Malaysian CN-235s refer to the standard reconnaissance system and equipment in the CN-235 220 MPA belonging to the Indonesian Navy's Puspenerbal.
Because it refers to the sensor and reconnaissance system in the CN-235 220 MPA of the Indonesian Navy, here are some features that are likely to be embedded in the Malaysian CN-233 MPA. For FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared), which will be adopted is the type of Star SAFIRE 380HD.
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