Country of origin:

International

Description:

Light utility helicopter

Power Plant:

Two 1,250 kw (1,676 shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67C turboshafts

Specifications:

History:

The AB-139 (as it was initially known) was announced at the Farnborough Air Show on 8 September 1998 as a joint venture by the recently formed Bell/Agusta Aerospace Company, being a six-tonne mid-size helicopter aimed at a range of civil applications. Once civil certification was obtained, the aim was to perform a variety of military missions, including search-and-rescue.

The machine is able to operate from Class A helipads at 945 m (3,100 ft) at ISA + 20 deg C. Able to seat up to 15 passengers in three rows of five abreast seating, the main cabin has been designed for offshore oil rig work, but could also be used to carry six stretcher patients and four medical attendants in an EMS configuration. The aircraft was advertised as being the only machine in its class capable of one engine inoperative take-offs and landings. The Pratt & Whitney FADEC equipped PT6C-67C turboshafts drive a five-blade main rotor and a four-blade canted tail rotor, both with fully articulated elastomeric bearing hubs.

Agusta was instrumental in the development of the AB-139 design prior to the formation of the new company, and both Agusta and Bell proposed to establish assembly lines in Italy and the USA. No areas of production were to be duplicated. Other companies involved in the programme included Pratt & Whitney Canada (engines), Honeywell (instrumentation etc), Westland (tail rotor drive train), PZL Swidnik in Poland (airframe components), Liebherr in Germany (undercarriage and air conditioning), and Kawasaki in Japan (transmission input module).

Some elements of the design were based on the Agusta A-129 Mangusta. A mock-up of the new design was shown at the 1999 Paris Air Show. The prototype flew for the first time at the Agusta-Westland plant at Vergiate in Italy on 3 February 2001. Certification was granted in Italy in June 2003, and US Certification was received in December 2004.

In November 2005 Bell Helicopter Co announced it was selling its stake in the AB-139 programme to Agusta Westland and in February 2006 the type became known as the AW-139. Along with the BA-609, the AW-139 has been built at Agusta’s final assembly line at Vergiate in Italy, and a facility for assembly was also set up at the Agusta Aerospace Corporation plant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this plant commencing to produce aircraft in early 2007. The type is fitted with a tricycle undercarriage which is retractable for higher speeds. Full crashworthy systems and seats are standard.

At Farnborough 2006 the manufacturers announced the AW-149, a multi-role battlefield helicopter variant, this having provision for armoured crew seats, electronic warfare protection, IR suppression, two internal pintle-mounted machine guns, and removable stub-wing weapon supports for gun pods, rocket launchers, and air-to-air missiles. It was to be powered by two 1,253 kw (1,679 shp) PT6C-67C turboshafts.

In early 2000 the Australian Bell distributor in Queensland announced it had ordered an early production machine for delivery when certification was received in 2002. In 2004 Helicopters NZ announced an order, this machine to be utilised for offshore operations in Asia. Bell Agusta also offered the type to the New Zealand Government to replace the RNZAF fleet of Bell Iroquois.

At the Australian International Air Show at Avalon in 2005 a full-scale mock-up of the AB-139 was shown in US Coast Guard markings. In mid 2006 the Queensland Government announced it had ordered three examples for use in the search-and-rescue role, the first becoming VH-ESH (c/n 31083) on 25 July 2007, entering service with Emergency Management, making its first flight in Australia on 23 October 2007 and entering service the following month, the other two arriving in 2008 and taking up service at bases in Townsville and Cairns in Queensland.

Further examples have been operated by CHC Helicopters (Australia) based in New South Wales for helicopter rescue services, the first being delivered in mid-2008 as VH-SYJ and commencing operations from Albion Park, NSW. A further two became VH-SYV and VH-SYZ in 2009.

First AW-139 for New Zealand became ZK-HNZ (c/n 31103) to Helicopters (NZ) Ltd of Nelson on 19 November 2007.

In mid-2014 Australian Helicopters ordered six new AW-139s to perform Government and air-ambulance contracts in the State of Victoria, the machines to be based at Essendon, Bendigo, Latrobe Valley and Warrnambool, with services to commence in 2016, these machines replacing Bell 412s. By late 2014, in the order of ten years since the AW-139 commenced operations, Agusta-Westland had delivered 700 examples of the type.

Agusta Westland was renamed Finmeccanica Helicopters with effect from 1 January 2016. Later again the Company was renamed Leonardo. By November 2016 42 examples of the series were registered in Australia.

By early 2018 some 60 examples were operating in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. In late 2018 the Victorian Air Wing ordered three AW-139s to replace its fleet of three Aerospatiale Dauphins and one Eurocopter EC 135 T2+. These new machines are fitted with a rescue winch, daylight and infrared cameras, and mapping and image detection systems, which are used for aerial observation, search, training and public reassurance roles.  In early 2023 it as announced the Australian Defence Force wold be supported by two AW-139 helicopters operated by Brisbane-based Toll Heliopters.