- Leonardo helicopters fleet in Chile exceeds 20 aircraft of various models including AW119, AW109, AW139 and W-3A Sokol covering VIP/corporate passenger, firefighting, utility and law enforcement
- Over 400 Leonardo helicopters are in service in Latin America for civil and military tasks
Rome, 30 March 2018 – Leonardo announced today that two additional civil helicopters will be delivered to Chilean private operators by early 2019, adding to a fleet of more than 20 aircraft currently in service. The deliveries will mark the entry of the new AW109 Trekker light twin, in a utility configuration, into the Chilean market in 1Q2019 as well as an AW119Kx single engine for VIP transport in 4Q2018. The AW109 Trekker maintains the AW109 Grand airframe, large cabin and top class performance while offering greater payload at a competitive cost, thus proving perfectly suited to meet the stringent requirements of Chilean operators in terms of capabilities, cost/effectiveness and environment, particularly in high altitude conditions.
Types in service in Chile include the AW119, AW109, AW139 and W-3A Sokol models performing VIP transport, firefighting, law enforcement and utility tasks. Over 400 military and civil helicopters are operated in Latin America, making Leonardo a major force in the regional helicopter sector covering the widest range of applications including naval roles, law enforcement and homeland security, EMS/SAR, firefighting and disaster relief, utility, VVIP-VIP/corporate and offshore transport.
AW109 Trekker and AW119Kx
The recently EASA certified AW109 Trekker is the latest addition to Leonardo’s helicopter portfolio and the company’s first light twin to offer skid landing gear. Featuring modern modular avionics it can be easily configured for a wide range of roles and is the ideal solution for EMS, utility, SAR, law enforcement, surveillance and passenger transport applications. Orders for almost 60 AW109 Trekkers have been logged so far by customers in Europe, North and Latin America, Asia to perform roles like emergency medical service, law enforcement and utility missions.
The AW119Kx is a best in class single engine helicopter featuring a state-of-the-art avionics system for enhanced situational awareness, mission effectiveness and safety. The AW119Kx has a large cabin able to accommodate up to six passengers and redundancy of all critical systems that are typically available on twin engine aircraft, ensuring outstanding safety. Nearly 300 AW119 helicopters have been ordered to date by over 120 customers in almost 40 countries. The new AW119Kx is perfectly suited to perform many roles including EMS, utility, fire-fighting, law enforcement, VIP/Corporate transport, military training and public service duties.
