{"id":64215,"date":"2026-03-28T23:12:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T22:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=64215"},"modified":"2026-04-04T21:25:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T19:25:43","slug":"c-212-aviocar-the-new-life-of-a-historic-spanish-military-aircraft-in-southeast-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/03\/28\/c-212-aviocar-the-new-life-of-a-historic-spanish-military-aircraft-in-southeast-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"C-212 Aviocar, the new life of a historic Spanish military aircraft in Southeast Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Thursday, March 26th marked the 55th anniversary of the greatest success in the Spanish aeronautical industry: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2021\/03\/26\/casa-c-212-aviocar-50-anos-del-primer-vuelo-del-mayor-exito-de-la-aeronautica-espanola\/\">the CASA C-212 Aviocar<\/a>.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><rel><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2021\/03\/26\/casa-c-212-aviocar-the-story-of-the-greatest-success-of-the-spanish-aeronautical-industry\/\">CASA C-212 Aviocar: the story of the greatest success of the Spanish aeronautical industry<\/a><\/rel><br \/>\n<rel><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2023\/05\/03\/c-41a-the-spanish-aircrafts-used-by-the-united-states-special-operations-forces\/\">C-41A: the Spanish aircrafts used by the United States special operations forces<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n<p><strong>That first flight took place in Getafe (Madrid).<\/strong> Yesterday, the always recommendable channel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@flybywire-aviation\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Fly By Wire Aviation<\/a> published a video full of nostalgia showing <strong>old images of the C-212<\/strong>, specifically of one of the prototypes, the EC-CRV, and recent images of one of the eight that are still in service with the Spanish Air Force, the T.12B-69 (72-69), with its current gray scheme:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"El Aviocar: 55 A\u00f1os y Sigue...\" width=\"665\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vl3l4FJugYk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>A total of 477 C-212 Aviocars were built between 1971 and 2013<\/strong>, and sold to 92 different operators. <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20130906200548\/http:\/\/www.airbusmilitary.com\/LatestNews\/tabid\/176\/ArticleID\/246\/ArtMID\/681\/Airbus-Military-delivers-last-C212-400-assembled-in-Spain-The-delivery-of-this-aircraft-marks-moment-of-Spanish-aviation-history.aspx\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The last aircraft manufactured in Spain rolled off the assembly line at the Airbus factory in Seville in 2013<\/a>, a C-212-400 destined for the Vietnam Coast Guard. <strong>That delivery brought an end to 42 years of Aviocar production in Spain.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"foto_piedefoto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55174239205_a58a11a50f_o.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55174239205_a58a11a50f_o.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"piedefoto\">The last CASA C-212 Aviocar manufactured in Spain, a C-212-400 for the Vietnamese Coast Guard (Photo: Airbus).<\/div>\n<p>However, that was not the end of the C-212. <strong>In 1975, the Aviocar began a new life in Asia with the Indonesian company Nurtario (IPTN)<\/strong>, named after Nurtanio Pringgoadisuryo, one of the pioneers of aviation in that Southeast Asian country. The company, now called Indonesian Aerospace (IAe), <strong>acquired a license to manufacture this Spanish aircraft, producing more than a hundred units<\/strong>, primarily for Asian customers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"foto_piedefoto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55174017418_866517615b_o.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55174017418_2c181ab37b_z.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"piedefoto\">The second NC212i delivered to the Indonesian Air Force in October 2021, the AX-2127 (Photo: Indonesian Aerospace).<\/div>\n<p><strong>Between 2004 and 2008, Airbus transferred all the necessary resources for manufacturing the C-212 to Indonesian Aerospace<\/strong>, which, since 2013, has continued manufacturing this historic Spanish aircraft independently in Bandung, West Java, under <strong>the designation NC212<\/strong>. This aircraft is especially valuable in that Asian country thanks to its STOL (short take-off and landing) capability, as <strong>Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago, with more than 17,500 islands<\/strong>, and a suitable runway is not always available.<\/p>\n<div class=\"foto_piedefoto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55172950592_4b37b258d8_o.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55172950592_71ac47dcbc_z.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"piedefoto\">An Indonesian Air Force NC212i, with the new five-bladed MTV-27 propellers (Photo: Indonesian Aerospace).<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indonesian-aerospace.com\/en\/portfolio\/aircraft\/fixed_wing\/detail\/12\/nc212i\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">In 2014, IAe ceased production of the NC212-200 and NC212-400<\/a>, the Indonesian versions of the CASA C-212-200 and CASA C-212-400. However, that wasn't the end of the Aviocar either. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indonesian-aerospace.com\/en\/portfolio\/aircraft\/fixed_wing\/detail\/12\/nc212i\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">IAe currently manufactures the NC212i, an improved version of the NC212-400<\/a>, with more advanced avionics, wing extensions, and a larger cargo compartment (capable of carrying 28 passengers or 3 tons of cargo). <strong>In addition to the Aviocar<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indonesian-aerospace.com\/en\/portfolio\/aircraft\/fixed_wing\/detail\/1\/cn235-220\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">IAe also continues to produce the CN-235<\/a>, a tactical transport aircraft launched by CASA and Nurtario in 1979 and which first flew in 1983.<\/p>\n<div class=\"foto_piedefoto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55172950582_eddb47687c_o.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55172950582_8f021c2802_z.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"piedefoto\">An NC212i (right) and a CN-235 under construction at the Indonesian Aerospace factory in 2024 (Photo: Indonesian Aerospace).<\/div>\n<p><strong>Currently, the Indonesian Air Force has 16 NC212s, 7 of which are the NC212i version<\/strong>, and has ordered two additional aircraft. Of the aircraft in service, 13 are used for transport, 1 for training, and 2 for cloud seeding. <strong>In addition, the Indonesian Navy has 11 NC212-200s<\/strong>, 3 of which are the maritime patrol version and the remaining 8 for tactical transport. <strong>Likewise, the Indonesian Army has 6 NC212s<\/strong> of the NC212-100 and NC212-220M versions for tactical transport missions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"foto_piedefoto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55174239220_65a55d0c09_o.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55174239220_d08dd17c27_z.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"piedefoto\">An NC212i of the Indonesian Air Force. The NC212i is an improved version of the CASA C-212-400, with which it shares its longer nose (Photo: Indonesian Aerospace).<\/div>\n<p><strong>Since 2022, the NC212i has been equipped with MTV-27 propellers<\/strong>, manufactured by the German company MT Propeller. <strong>The Philippine Air Force operates two NC212i aircraft<\/strong>, ordered in 2014 and delivered in 2018. In 2023, it ordered six more units, which are currently pending delivery. Similarly, <strong>the Vietnamese Air Force has had three NC212i aircraft<\/strong> since December 2021. The Vietnamese Coast Guard continues to operate its C-212-400s in search and rescue (SAR) missions, including the latest Aviocar manufactured in Spain. In addition, <strong>Thailand operates two NC212i aircraft, and Senegal has purchased one of this model.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"foto_piedefoto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55174239210_dd1e8f1055_o.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55174239210_eeff0276ff_z.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"piedefoto\">One of the N219 prototypes, the PK-XDP (Photo: Indonesian Aerospace).<\/div>\n<p><strong>Indonesian Aerospace has designed a new aircraft clearly inspired by the C-212 Aviocar: the N219.<\/strong> It made its first flight on August 16, 2017, becoming the first aircraft designed entirely in Indonesia, thanks to IAe's experience with the C-212. It uses the same five-bladed MTV-27 propellers as the NC212i. <strong>Currently, there are only two prototypes of the N219<\/strong>, a STOL aircraft capable of carrying passengers and cargo, but without a rear ramp. IAe also offers <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indonesian_Aerospace_N219#\/media\/File:Indonesian_Aerospace_N219_Amphibian_model.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">an amphibious version<\/a> with two floats. <strong>The Indonesian Air Force has ordered 5 units<\/strong>, 2 of them the amphibious version, scheduled for delivery in 2027, and <strong>the Indonesian Maritime Safety Agency has ordered another 4 units.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>---<\/p>\n<p><small>Main photo: Pen Lanud Husein S. \/ Indonesian Aerospace. Three NC212i and three NC212-200 of the Indonesian Air Force.<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thursday, March 26th marked the 55th anniversary of the greatest success in the Spanish aeronautical industry: the CASA C-212 Aviocar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[11546,19534],"tags":[916,2708,6060,11875,26496,26572,26577,26578,26579,26580,26581],"class_list":["post-64215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-defense-portada-eng","tag-getafe","tag-casa-c-212-aviocar","tag-indonesia","tag-spanish-air-force","tag-vietnam-air-force","tag-indonesian-aerospace-nc212","tag-indonesian-maritime-safety-agency","tag-indonesian-army","tag-indonesian-air-force","tag-philippine-air-force","tag-indonesian-navy"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-14 23:31:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64215\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}