Senegalese Air Force receives CN-235 MPA aircraft

Isa Khan · Apr 7, 2021

Indonesian Ambassador in Dakar, Dindin Wahyudin, and Papa Souleymane Sarr, Chief of Senegalese Airforce, welcomed the arrival of the CN-235 MPA aircraft at the Senegal Air Force Airport, Dakar on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 14.15 GMT. This aircraft is the third purchase of the type produced by PT Dirgantara Indonesia by the Senegalese Air Force in 2017. Currently, there are 128 units of CN-235 manufactured by PT DI around the world.

Indonesian Ambassador Dakar expressed his pleasure and gratitude for the trust of the Senegal Air Force in using Indonesian-produced aircraft. He emphasized the importance of this momentum as evidence of the well-established relations between the two countries: “This cooperation is an important evidence of the strong relations between Indonesia and Senegal, as has been built since the Asia-Africa Conference 65 years ago," said Ambassador Dindin Wahyudin

Before arriving in Dakar, CN235-220 MPA that departed from the provincial capital of West Java, Bandung, flew through 12 countries and had a layover in India, Qatar, Sudan, Chad, and Niger. The plane, which carried 10 cabin crews, took 12 days to arrive.

For the record, the plane has several strengths: it can take off from a short, non-asphalt, and grassy runway, fly for eight hours with a glass cockpit avionic system and autopilot, and fly more firmly with less fuel due to the winglets at the end of the wings. CN235-220 MPA is also complemented with Tactical Console (TACCO), 360-degree Search Radar that can detect small targets up to 20 NM (nautical mile), and Automatic Identification System (AIS), an automatic tracking system to identify planes, so it can detect the position of suspicious objects. The plane also has Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) to detect and classify targets, as well as record the situation around the flying area for mission evaluation both in daytime and during nighttime.

At first, CN-235-220 MPA was planned to be used for Senegal Air Force patrols. The West African country has previously purchased similar planes back in 2011 and 2014. As for the third purchase, the contract was made in 2017 and the purchase was supposed to be handed over in September last year, but following the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery was delayed until March this year.