31 orders for made-in-Malaysia aircraft

31 orders for made-in-Malaysia aircraft

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): A Malaysian-German joint venture that will begin local production of an amphibious aircraft early next year has already secured 31 orders, officials said yesterday.

"The orders have come from Indonesia, Canada, Brunei, the Pacific islands and locally," Ariff Awang, general manager of Dornier Seastar (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, was quoted by the Bernama news agency as saying.

Germany's Dornier Seastar and Co. holds a 25 percent stake in the 300 million ringgit (US$120 million) venture, in which the remaining interest is held by locals, led by Aerospace Industries Malaysia, which owns 30 percent.

Ariff said that construction of the manufacturing plant in the northern Malaysian state of Penang would begin soon and was scheduled for completion early next year.

He said six of the 12-seater aircraft would be produced initially and annual output could reach 36 by the third year of production.

The Dornier Seastar CD2, used mainly for maritime patrol and rescue, would be the third foreign-designed aircraft to be produced locally as part of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's plan to turn Malaysia into a regional aerospace industry center.

The other two ventures are with Australia to produce the Eagle X-TS light aircraft and with Switzerland to manufacture MD3-160 trainers with assistance from British Aerospace. *