1,200 Sold, 1,100 Delivered, 3 Million Flight Hours

Leonardo is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their AW139 helicopter’s maiden flight.

The first aircraft took to the skies from the Company’s facility in Cascina Costa di Samarate, Italy on 3 February 2001. The helicopter flew for 45 minutes checking initial airworthiness tests, hovering, lateral and forward flight, handling qualities and subsystems. This soon confirmed the characteristics of the new model as well as its performance and capabilities.

The AW139 intermediate-twin engine boasts orders of almost 1,200 units from more than 280 customers in over 70 countries on all continents.

The aircraft has more than 3 million flight hours recorded since the first delivery took place at the beginning of 2004. Data of use testifies to the versatility of the AW139. The AW139 fleet has a global presence: around 30% in Europe, almost as much in Asia and Australasia, 15% in the Americas, followed by the Middle East. The US Air Force will soon introduce the AW139-based Boeing MH-139 to replace the UH-1N fleet.

The AW139 has grown significantly over the years, adapting to the changing needs of customers. The maximum take-off weight increased from 6.4 to 7 tons. Almost 1,000 mission kits and equipment have been certified. With advanced protection systems against icing, the AW139 can fly in all-weather conditions. This model is also the only one in the world capable of continuing to fly for over 60 minutes without oil in the transmission, twice as much as the 30 minutes set by certification authorities.

In 2020 new distinguished features for the avionics suite were introduced including synthetic vision, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System with offshore modes, improved 2D maps and wireless data loading, increasing crew situational awareness and reducing workload for operations at night or in marginal weather.

FMI: https://www.leonardocompany.com/