IPTN N-2130 — 3D CAD Restoration
What It Is
This project is a fully reconstructed 3D CAD model of the IPTN N-2130, Indonesia’s ambitious 100–130 seat jetliner project that never reached production. The model is created from surviving brochure material, engineering sketches, promotional mockups, and the small collection of publicly available design references.
The purpose is not simply to visualize the aircraft, but to digitally restore a piece of national aerospace history that almost disappeared into obscurity.
The History Behind the N-2130
During the 1990s, Indonesia’s IPTN (now PTDI) attempted something extraordinary: to step into the world of commercial jetliners dominated by Western aerospace giants.
The N-2130 was Indonesia’s leap into the future — a modern, locally designed narrow-body jet intended to compete with the Boeing 737 Next Generation and the Airbus A320 family. It wasn’t just a plane. It was a symbol of national technological ambition.
But the 1997 Asian financial crisis hit hard. Funding collapsed. Government priorities shifted. And the N-2130, despite being in an advanced stage of design, was cancelled before a prototype could ever leave the ground.
The aircraft became a “what-if” of Southeast Asian aerospace history — a future that the region came within inches of achieving. Today, only a handful of images, brochures, and scale models remain.
Why I Made This Project
I built this CAD model because the N-2130 deserves more than to be forgotten as a footnote in history.
It represents:
- The peak of Indonesian aerospace ambition A moment when the country dared to become a commercial aircraft producer A technological dream interrupted, not failed
- For many of us who love aviation, the N-2130 is not just an unfinished project — it’s a reminder of what Indonesia could have achieved if circumstances had been different.
- Reconstructing it in 3D is my way of preserving that vision.
If the real aircraft never flew, then let it at least exist here—digitally, accurately, and respectfully.
Why It’s Cool?
The N-2130 is fascinating because it represents an alternate timeline in aviation: A Southeast Asian competitor in the global jetliner market A unique configuration blending European and American design philosophies A sleek airframe shaped by IPTN’s experience with CN-235 and N-250 programs
Even though it never took to the skies, the engineering intent behind the N-2130 is genuinely impressive. Its proportions, wing geometry, and overall layout show that IPTN was not dreaming blindly—they were designing something competitive.
Building this 3D CAD reveals details that most people never got to see — the subtle contouring, the nacelle shaping, the aerodynamics that could have become Indonesia’s flagship airliner.
This project is cool not because the N-2130 flew — but because it almost did.
It’s a tribute to a lost milestone and a reminder that aerospace history isn’t just about what succeeded — it’s also about what should have been.
See Also
Related Aircraft in the project PTDI R-2130
Other aircraft project with similar size and capability Dassault Mercure
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