Pioneering Though aircraft production in Indonesia existed before independence in 1945, the National Aviation Industry was pioneered in 1946 at
Yogyakarta by the formation of
Planning and Construction Bureau () within the
Indonesian Air Force. Wiweko Soepono, Nurtanio Pringgoadisurjo, and J. Sumarsono, opened a simple workshop at
Magetan, near
Madiun. With basic materials, gliders were designed and built –
Zogling, NWG-1 (Nurtanio Wiweko Glider) among others. In 1948, a motorised aircraft, WEL-X was built by Wiweko Soepono using a
Harley Davidson engine. The small craft was registered as RI-X. This era marked the rise of several
aeromodelling clubs. The war for independence, however, halted all progress until 1953. In that year,
The Experimental Section () was organised. Consisting of only 15 personnel, led by Nurtanio Pringgoadisurjo, The team built and tested three prototypes of a single-seat all metal aircraft at Andir Airport (Later renamed
Husein Sastranegara International Airport) in
Bandung. On 24 April 1957, The
Experimental Section graduated into The
Inspection, Trial, and Production Sub-Depot () based on Decision Letter of Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff number 68. In 1958, a light training aircraft prototype named
Belalang 89, or
Grasshopper 89, was flown. The design was later produced as . Five were built and used for military training. Within the same year, a sport plane, "
Kunang 25", was also built and flown.
Preparation On 1 August 1960, by the order of the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force (order #488), The
Aviation Industry Preparation Agency was to be formed to establish the Indonesian aviation industry as part of national strategies on national industrial production. By 16 December 1961, the new body, known as LAPIP (), was actively negotiating for technological transfers and contracts. LAPIP was able to secure a joint licensing and production contract with the
Polish People's Republic (through the latter's foreign trade monopoly, the Complete Industrial Facilities Export Centre (CEKOP)). Within the same year, Indonesia was producing the
PZL-104 Wilga, locally named the . 44 were manufactured for agriculture, transport, and aero club purposes. In 1965, the
Aircraft Industry Project Implementation Command (; ) and the Independent Aircraft Industry National Company () were formed to expand and formulate specific uses of the young aviation industry. Within the same timeline, Aviation Studies were promoted in the country's top universities. One of the first schools was founded within the machine department of the engineering faculty of the
Bandung Institute of Technology by Oetarjo Diran and Liem Keng Kie. In September 1974,
Pertamina's Advanced Technology Division signed a license contract with
MBB and
CASA for producing
Bölkow Bo 105 and
CASA C.212 Aviocar.
Nurtanio Aircraft Industry On 26 April 1976, mandated by Government Act No. 15, in
Jakarta, PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nurtanio was officially established with
BJ. Habibie as the President and CEO. The infrastructure was completed and inaugurated on 23 August 1976 by President
Suharto. The new body was a merger between Nurtanio Aviation Industry Institution () and
Pertamina's Advanced Technology Division. The name 'Nurtanio' is a tribute to Nurtanio Pringgoadisuryo, one of the first aviation pioneers in Indonesia, who designed the
Sikumbang, an indigenous all metal aircraft (maiden flight: 1 August 1954). As a result of his death caused by a flight training accident on 1 March 1966, the
Aviation Industry Preparation Agency was then renamed
Nurtanio Aviation Industry Institution LLC (). Initially, IPTN manufactured the
NBO 105 (
MBB Bo 105) under license from
MBB, followed by the NC 212 (
CASA C-212 Aviocar), under license by
CASA.
Nusantara Aircraft Industry On 11 October 1985, the name was changed to the or IPTN.
Nusantara signifies the Indonesian 17,000 island
archipelago. The exclusion of "Nurtanio" from IPTN was due to some highly questionable accusations. One of the allegations was a personal use of company's letterhead by Nurtanio's family to appropriate some IPTN stocks. None was proven true.
Dirgantara Indonesia / Indonesian Aerospace Following the
1997 Asian financial crisis, a major restructuring program was implemented. At its peak, in 2004, the Indonesian Aerospace reduced its payroll from 9670 to 3720. Furthermore, the 18 business divisions were reorganised into the following: • Aircraft • Aircraft Services • Aerostructure • Defense • Engineering Services The restructuring focused on new business goals, downsizing and adaptation of man-power according to available workloads, and a pinpoint market targeting along with a concentrated business mission. The IPTN was re-introduced as PT Dirgantara Indonesia (abbreviated DI) or Indonesian Aerospace (abbreviated IAe). IAe was officially inaugurated by the President of
Indonesia,
Abdurrahman Wahid, in
Bandung on 24 August 2000. On 4 July 2011, Indonesia's government said it will inject Rp.2 trillion ($234 million) to Indonesian Aerospace to keep the debt-ridden firm afloat with a view to making a joint venture with
EADS. Before injection, the amount of unpaid debt to the government was Rp.1.1 trillion ($129 million). == Services ==