NEWTOWN, Conn.: A number of changes are being put into effect regarding production responsibility for the EADS CASA C-212 transport aircraft. This past April, EADS formally merged EADS CASA Military Transport Aircraft Division (MTAD) with Airbus Military into a new business unit that assumed the name of Airbus Military. Responsibility for the C-212, which had been an MTAD product, transferred to the new unit. Within the EADS organization, the new Airbus Military is a subsidiary of commercial aircraft manufacturer Airbus. The C-212, though, continues to be marketed as the EADS CASA C-212.
The latest production version of the C-212 is the C-212-400, which is produced at Airbus Military (previously EADS CASA MTAD) facilities in Spain. However, in November 2006, EADS CASA signed a preliminary agreement with Indonesian Aerospace (IAe) regarding production and assembly of the -400 at IAe’s facilities in Bandung, Indonesia. At that time, the two firms envisioned that final assembly of C-212-400s would occur in both Indonesia and Spain.
By mid-2008, though, these plans had changed. C-212-400 production and assembly was now to be moved entirely from Spain to Indonesia. Production of the -400 by IAe is to get under way following the transfer of tooling and technologies to the company. This transfer is scheduled to be completed by January 2010.
The IAe facilities are to eventually have the capability to produce C-212-400s at a rate of about one per month. The initial IAe-produced C-212-400 is scheduled to be completed in 2011.
Under the 2006 agreement, IAe is permitted to market the transport version of the C-212-400 in Asian countries. The first firm order for an IAe-produced -400 was received in February 2009. That month, the Indonesian charter operator Airfast Indonesia signed a firm order for one -400.
In January 2008, the Indonesian carrier Merpati Nusantara Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IAe for 10 C-212-400s. The airline intends to utilize the aircraft on routes in the eastern region of Indonesia. The 10 -400s are to be built by IAe in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, IAe continues to build the NC-212-200 version. In March 2008, the company signed a contract worth approximately $7.3 million with the Indonesian charter outfit Transwisata Prima Aviation for one NC-212-200 and one NAS-332 Super Puma helicopter.
IAe has approximately seven partially complete NC-212-200s in stock, and some future orders for the -200 could be filled from these. IAe production of the -200, though, will likely be phased out over the next few years, with the company now turning its attention to the C-212-400.
