Will Fill Traditional Missions Of SAR, Emergency Medical Services, Maritime Patrol

The Italian Coast Guard has taken delivery of its first AW139 medium twin helicopter during an official ceremony held Monday at AgustaWestland's Vergiate plant in Italy. The first Italian Coast Guard aircraft of this type is also the 300th AW139 delivered so far. AgustaWestland said the AW139 will perform a range of missions including  maritime patrol, search and rescue (SAR) and emergency medical services. Three more AW139s will be delivered in the coming months.

Alessandro Parrini, Senior Vice President Italian Government Business Unit, said the Italian Coast Guard joins a the long list of coast guard and SAR operators worldwide who are already using the AW139 for these demanding duties. "The AW139 has rapidly become the new generation medium twin of choice for such missions," he said. "It will allow the Italian Coast Guard to continue to  play a key role in monitoring, protecting and assisting people around Italy's shores."  

The AW139 is equipped with a wide range of SAR equipment including an external rescue hoist, cargo hook, wire strike protection system, search/weather radar, FLIR/LLTV system, NVG compatible cockpit, night sun searchlight, external loudspeaker system, emergency floatation system and external life rafts.

Many maritime, border patrol and security agencies from countries around the world, including Japan, Malaysia, the UK, USA, Spain, Estonia, Cyprus, South Korea, UAE and Italy, have selected or are already operating the AW139 to fulfill their requirements. Over 460 orders have been placed by almost 130 customers from over 50 countries to date.

FMI: www.agustawestland.com