- The AW139 is a world-class leader with nearly 1100 units ordered and more than 900 in service, many of them for government and public service tasks
- The APAC region will see the strongest growth in the public service helicopter market and Leonardo state of the art AW139, AW169 and AW189 are the ideal models
Melbourne, 26 February 2019 - Leonardo has announced today the choice for three AW139 intermediate twin engine helicopters as part of Victoria Police Air Wing’s fleet modernization effort to provide enhanced airborne capabilities. The helicopters will be supplied by StarFlight Victoria to carry out a range of law enforcement, patrol and surveillance, and maritime search and rescue missions from the Essendon Airport on behalf of the Victoria Police Air Wing. The AW139s will be delivered from Leonardo’s Vergiate final assembly line facility in Italy in late 2019 and will enter service in 2020 following dedicated mission customization.
Configured for policing operations across the State of Victoria, the new aircraft will feature a wide range of tailored equipment including, among others, advanced mission console, camera, wire cutter and rescue hoist. This latest contract marks a further outstanding success for the best-selling AW139 in Australia, being already the leading model for Emergency Medical Service (EMS) nationwide. Nearly 120 civil, public utility and military helicopters of various models have been sold by Leonardo in the country to date.
The AW139 is part of the Leonardo’s Family of new generation helicopters that also includes the AW169 and AW189 models, which possess the same high performance flight characteristics and safety features as well as sharing a common cockpit layout, design philosophy and maintenance/training concept. These helicopters are ideal for law enforcement, EMS and parapublic missions thanks to their capability, reliability and safety.