AgustaWestland AW139
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| AW139 | |
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 AW139 on display at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2006 |
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| Type | Medium SAR/utility helicopter |
| Manufacturer | AgustaWestland |
| Maiden flight | 3 February 2001 |
| Introduced | 2003 |
| Primary users | CHC Helicopter Irish Air Corps UAE Air Force |
The AgustaWestland AW139 is a 15-seat medium sized twin-engined helicopter manufactured by AgustaWestland. Originally designed and developed jointly by Agusta and Bell Helicopters and marketed as the Agusta-Bell AB139, Bell withdrew from the project, which was then renamed the AW139. The AgustaWestland AW149 is a medium-lift military helicopter being developed by AgustaWestland as an enlarged version of the AW139.
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[edit] Design and development
The AW139 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6C turboshaft engines. The helicopter is being marketed for use in a number of roles including Law Enforcement/Emergency Medical Service, Executive Transport, Search and Rescue, Maritime and Offshore Oil Operations.
The first AW139 flew on 3 February 2001 at Vergiate in Italy, and the first production aircraft on June 24 2002. The first customer aircraft was delivered in 2003.
The company has orders for 190 helicopters of which 30 had been delivered by July 2006. It was a contender in the U.S. Army Light Utility Helicopter Program (2004-2006) but lost to the Eurocopter EC145-based UH-72A Lakota.
In 2007 a second production line at the Agusta Aerospace plant at Philadelphia, United States was established.
At the Farnborough Air Show in 2006, AgustaWestland announced the AW149, a multi-role battlefield helicopter variant of the AW139.
The Irish Air Corps began taking delivery of its first AW139s in 2007. The type will provide army co-operation capability to the Air Corps. They replace the Aerospatiale Alouette III in service.
In late 2006 it was announced that the Japan Coast Guard had selected the AW139 as the replacement for its fleet of Bell 212 helicopters. 24 AW139s are expected to be delivered, beginning in 2008.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Military and Government Operators
- Beijing Municipal Public Safety Bureau
- Estonian Border Guard
- Corps of the Port Captaincies - Coast Guard (up to 2 on Order, delivery 2009)
- Korea Coast Guard (delivery 2009)
- Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (up to 3 on Order, delivery 2010)
- Government Air Transport Unit
- Dutch Police force (delivery 2009)
- Police Air Wing
- 6th Aviation Squadron for emergency relief operations (up to 5 on Order, delivery 2008)
- Salvamento Marítimo (Spanish Coast Guard)
[edit] Civilian Operators
- CHC Helicopter
- Ornge (Ontario Air Ambulance) , Ontario, Canada (10 on order for 2010-12 delivery) [1]
- Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS), Alberta, Canada (2 on order for late 2008/2009 delevery)
- London Air Services [2]
- Sasemar, the Spanish Marine Safety Agency, 8 used for roles including SAR and water pollution detection, operating from bases in Reus, Gijón and Tenerife.
- Copterline, starting from 2008. The regular flights shall take place between Tallinn (Estonia) and Helsinki (Finland). [3]
- Copterline, replacing Sikorsky S-76s.
- Helicopters New Zealand (Helicopters NZ), 5 plus options for 2 more. For offshore transport use supporting companies including Shell.
- Fire Blade investments,Anglo Platinuim
- CHC Scotia, on behalf of HM Coastguard
- FB Heliservices, 2 operating from RAF Valley to provide search and rescue training for AgustaWestland export customers.
- Era Helicopters
[edit] Specifications (AW139)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.General characteristics
- Crew: Minimum 1 pilot
- Capacity: 12-15 passengers or 6,124 lb (2778 kg) maximum useful load
- Length: 54.63 ft (16.65 m)
- Rotor diameter: 45.28 ft (13.80 m)
- Height: 16.33 ft (4.98 m)
- Disc area: 1,610 ft² (149.57 m²)
- Empty weight: 7,985 lb (3,622 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 14,112 lb (6,400 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney Canada- PT6C-67C turboshafts, 1,531 shp continuous (1,142 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 167 kts (VNE) (310 km/h)
- Combat radius: 307 nm (568 km)
- Service ceiling 19,460 ft (5,931 m)
- Rate of climb: >2000 ft/min (>10 m/s)
- Disc loading: 8.77 lb/ft² (42.8 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.217 hp/lb (356.9 W/kg)
[edit] See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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