Leonardo AW139 helicopter 20th anniversary
On 3 February 2021 the Leonardo company celebrated the 20th anniversary of the AW139 helicopter’s maiden flight.
The first aircraft, registered I-ACOI (construction number 31001) took to the skies from the Company’s facility in Cascina Costa di Samarate, Italy on 3 February 2001. The helicopter, at that time still designated Agusta-Bell AB139 flew for 45 minutes.
Agusta later merged with the British Westland company, and the designation became AgustaWestland AW139. Since 2016 the company is known as Leonardo Helicopters.
With almost 1,200 units ordered from more than 280 customers in over 70 countries on all continents, the AW139 is a true success in the 7 ton intermediate-twin engine helicopter market.
Since the first production machine was delivered in 2004, the AW139 has achieved a leading position in its class in the offshore transport sector, VIP, institutional and corporate transport as well as other civil missions.
With rising demands the helicopter is produced on different assembly lines both in Italy, in the Vergiate plant, and in the United States in Philadelphia which has delivered around 30% of all units to date.
The US Air Force will soon introduce the AW139-based Boeing MH-139 to replace the UH-1N fleet. A small number of AW139s has also been produced by HeliVert, a joint venture between Russian Helicopters and (then) AgustaWestland, in its production plant in Tomilino, Russian Federation.
The AW139 also represents a turning point in the rotary-wing sector through the introductory concept of the Leonardo "helicopter family".
The AW139 is, in fact, the forefather of a helicopter family comprising of the smaller and lighter AW169 and the larger and heavier AW189. Models, the only case in the world, that share the same design philosophy, the same high performance, the same flight characteristics and the same certification standards, as well as the same approach to maintenance and training.
A concept that allows operators with large diversified fleets, with models ranging from 4 to 9 tons of weight, to create significant synergies in crew training, flight operations, maintenance and logistics support.
Photos: Leonardo, Agusta Elicoteri and Diego Caravaglia