The African country is also interested in acquiring the larger C295 model, for which it seeks to reach an agreement with Madrid
The Nigerian military procurement authorities have opted for the purchase of four CN235-220 multirole aircraft from the Indonesian company PT Dirgantara (PTDI). The CN235 model is a joint development of the Spanish company CASA (now in Airbus) and the Indonesian IPTN (now PTDI). At the moment, the contract has not yet been signed, according to the company, which revealed this operation during the last Singaporre Airshow 2024, held at the end of February.
According to the specialized portal Military Africa, the CN235-200 offers Nigeria advantages such as its ability to operate from poorly maintained and unpaved runways, stability and efficiency in fuel economy thanks to its winglet devices and the modern avionics system with which it is equipped, including the autopilot.
At the beginning of the century, PT Dirgantara received an order for some twenty CN235 aircraft in an agreement based on the exchange of oil for military material, but in the end it was not executed for reasons that are unknown, the source recalls.
The African media points out that PTDI has already delivered more than 70 units of different versions of the CN235, of the around 250 aircraft that have been manufactured in total, to countries such as Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon, Mali, Morocco and Mauritania.