At the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024, the TP-150 training and patrol aircraft debuted, attracting great attention from visitors. In particular, it is the first aircraft built by a domestic private company in collaboration with an Italian partner, which produced many important parts and assembled the finished product in Vietnam.
Tran Hai Dang, chairman of the board of Flying Legend Vietnam Joint Stock Company, was one of the initiators of the arrival of the TP-150 aircraft “live” in Vietnam. He gave an interview to a reporter from the People’s Army Newspaper.
Reporter (PV): Could you explain to many people in Vietnam why they decided to enter this seemingly strange field?
Mr. Tran Hai Dang: As everyone knows, in the past decades we have designed, produced and tested various types of aircraft, but for many objective reasons, aircraft “Made in Vietnam” have not yet been widely used.
Speaking of family, I am very proud that my father is a veteran helicopter pilot of the Air Defense – Air Force. Since childhood, I have been around generations of fathers and brothers, mostly pilots and aeronautical engineers, people who have always wanted to make their contribution and have strived to dominate the sky. As for me, I have nearly 30 years of “fighting” in the aviation industry, accumulating a lot of experience in the fields of aircraft maintenance and repair; designing, manufacturing and improving flying vehicles; training drivers, maintenance technicians…
It can be said that Vietnam’s aviation industry has reached the world level of aircraft operation and maintenance, which means that we have mastered the new generation aircraft, both in the civil and military fields. Here I am referring to the case of aircraft that have been produced and put into operation and that we are fully capable of mastering. But there is an important aspect in the aviation industry, that is, the design and production of a complete aircraft, which Vietnam has not been able to do, despite the fact that we have many engineers and PhDs, both at home and abroad, who graduated from prestigious aviation schools around the world. Every year we train many aeronautical engineers, who study the theory of design and production in depth, but after graduating they only work in operations and maintenance. This resource is very expensive.
These are the reasons that led me to decide to “start a business at the age of 50” by establishing a company with my colleagues to invest in the production of the TP-150 aircraft, just about 2 years ago, right after the success of the first Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2022.
PV: Can you tell us more about the birth of the TP-150 aircraft?
Mr. Tran Hai Dang: In 2015, when we started building a basic pilot training school at Chu Lai Airport (Quang Nam), we encountered numerous difficulties in importing the first training aircraft to Vietnam, from type certificate (TC) and certificate of airworthiness (CoA) approval issues, repair and maintenance, and certification for pilots and engineers, to obtaining training airspace approval. It was also during that period that we developed the idea and decided to produce aircraft in Vietnam.
Fortunately, we found a partner, the Italian Flying Legend, who agreed to transfer technology and copyright to enable aircraft production in Vietnam. This is the foundation stone for the formation of Flying Legend Vietnam and the TP-150 aircraft.
To obtain the right to transfer technology to Vietnam, we had to compete with partners from many other countries. In the end, Italy chose Vietnam, not because of the size of the market or financial capacity, but because of its human resources. We have many years of experience in the field of commercial aircraft operation and maintenance, especially in the design, production and improvement of aircraft according to EASA Part 21, the highest standard in the aviation industry, which ensures compliance with the most stringent production processes.
PV: Can you summarize the outstanding features of the TP-150 aircraft?
Mr. Tran Hai Dang: The TP-150 is a specialized aircraft for primary training and patrol, designed by Italian engineers, which complies with the standards of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as many standards applied in the military. Engines, propellers and avionics equipment mounted on the aircraft are imported; the fuselage, wings, landing gear and accessories are produced and assembled at Flying Legend Vietnam’s factory in Vinh Phuc Province.
In terms of basic specifications, the TP-150 aircraft is 7.1 m long, has a wingspan of 8.4 m, a ceiling of about 7,000 m, a 150 horsepower engine, a take-off speed of 100 km/h, a maximum speed of 300 km/h, and can fly continuously for 7 hours (with an auxiliary fuel tank). The overload factor of +6/-3G allows the aircraft to perform complex aerobatic maneuvers and fly in formation. In particular, the aircraft can use conventional fuel (such as A95 gasoline), making it very convenient to operate. When equipped with additional equipment, such as optical infrared (EO/IR) cameras and synthetic aperture radar (SAR), the aircraft can perform border patrol or coastal surveillance missions.
The advantage of the TP-150 aircraft is that it is suitable for both primary training and sports flying. The aircraft are manufactured and assembled in Vietnam, so we are fully proactive in terms of equipment and materials during the operation, maintenance and repair process. In addition to training military pilots, the aircraft can also be used in civil aviation.
Flying Legend Vietnam is now able to mass produce the aircraft.
PV: During this process, what difficulties did Flying Legend Vietnam encounter, sir?
Mr. Tran Hai Dang: To produce an aircraft such as the TP-150 in particular, or any other aircraft in general, requires not only the efforts of one company, but also of a whole chain of supporting industries specializing in aircraft materials, testing and inspection equipment. These supplies are still in short supply in Vietnam and will have to be largely imported. Preferential import tax policies also need to be considered for this sector.
Currently, the regulations for issuing Type Certificates (TC) and Certificates of Airworthiness (CoA) for light aircraft used in civil and military aviation in our country are still incomplete. However, in this field we can refer to the regulations of the United States and Europe, which have a fairly complete set of standards for this sector. Our country also does not have enough personnel (engineers, supervisors, test pilots…) to evaluate and approve newly produced aircraft. In this regard, we will ask Italian pilots and engineers to come to Vietnam to give their contribution. I understand that the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam is also using EASA experts to help Vietnam improve safety regulations in the field of civil aviation. They are also good resources to support Vietnam in approving the TP-150 aircraft.
PV: Some say that the TP-150 aircraft is a milestone in the history of Vietnamese aviation. What do you think?
Mr. Tran Hai Dang: It can be said that the Vietnamese people have always had the desire to master technology, to “master the sky”. This is proven by the fact that many previous generations have persistently and meticulously researched, designed and tested many types of aircraft, such as the TL-1 small reconnaissance aircraft, the HL-1 and HL-2 training aircraft or the VNS-41 ultralight dual-purpose aircraft…
Regarding the TP-150 aircraft, I am very pleased and happy because it is a completely “Made in Vietnam” product, which helps to confirm the efforts and aspirations of a private enterprise such as Flying Legend Vietnam in the new era: the era of the rise of the Vietnamese people. I hope that the TP-150 aircraft can “make a contribution” to the aviation industry in Vietnam and, at the same time, contribute to the implementation of the law on national defense, security industry and industrial mobilization.
With the expectation of soon releasing the first aircraft produced in Vietnam to the domestic and international market, Flying Legend Vietnam has sent documents to ministries, branches and functional agencies requesting guidance on flight inspection procedures before leaving the factory.
PV: Thank you!
VAN HIEU
