BRIN developing N219 aircraft ecosystem for flying ambulance vision

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2 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Head Arif Satria has said his agency is refining the supporting ecosystem for the N219 aircraft and its amphibious variant (N219A) to support President Prabowo Subianto’s flying ambulance vision.

“To answer the vision of a flying ambulance and future medical logistics, BRIN is relying on the strength of national aerospace technology. We are refining the ecosystem of the N219 aircraft and its amphibious variant (N219A),” Satria told ANTARA here on Sunday.

Satria said the N219 aircraft, developed together with state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI), has Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capability, allowing it to land on both land and water for medical evacuations in island regions.

As the backbone of the unmanned system, he explained that BRIN is developing a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (PUNA) capable of flying nonstop for 24 hours with a Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) control range of around 2,000 kilometers.

“This high-endurance unmanned platform provides an independent and reliable system for various critical missions, from tactical monitoring to future emergency logistics projection,” Satria said.

Prabowo had earlier said the government would prepare aerial ambulances in the form of helicopters and small aircraft to speed up medical evacuations, especially in areas with difficult access.

He said aerial ambulances are needed as a breakthrough to address healthcare access difficulties in a number of regions, noting that some communities still have to travel seven to nine hours to reach healthcare services, including mothers requiring help during childbirth.

“That is why we will also develop flying ambulances using helicopters and small aircraft that can land on grass fields, sandy fields, and riverbanks, so that none of our people are left unable to be evacuated when they are sick,” he said in his speech on the State Budget Draft (RAPBN) for the 2027 Fiscal Year, along with its Financial Note and Supporting Documents, on August 14.