AW139

The AgustaWestland AW139, marketed since 2016 as the Leonardo AW139, is an Italian 15-seat medium twin-engine helicopter used for offshore transport, VIP transport, search and rescue, emergency medical service, law enforcement, firefighting, disaster relief and maritime patrol. It first flew on 3 February 2001 and entered revenue service in 2003. More than 1,200 had been built by July 2024, with the type dominating offshore oil and gas support work and serving as the basis for the MH-139A Grey Wolf and the enlarged AW149.

Development

Agusta launched the programme in 1997 to replace the Bell Huey family, predicting a market of 900 aircraft. In 1998 Agusta and Bell formed the Bell/Agusta Aerospace Company to develop the AB139 and the BA609 tiltrotor, with Agusta as lead partner on the helicopter. Bristow Helicopters placed the first order in September 2000; the first preproduction aircraft flew at Vergiate on 3 February 2001 and the first production machine on 24 June 2002. JAA certification followed in June 2003 and FAA type certification in December 2004. AgustaWestland bought Bell's 25 percent share for $95 million in 2005, after which the type was redesignated AW139. A second line opened at Philadelphia in 2007, and PZL-Świdnik delivered its 200th airframe in April 2014. HeliVert, a joint venture with Russian Helicopters, began assembly at Tomilino in 2012; Leonardo suspended Russian business in March 2022. Maximum gross weight rose to 6,800 kg from 2008 and to 7,000 kg in 2015.

Design

The AW139 has a five-bladed fully articulated main rotor with titanium hub and composite blades, a four-bladed articulated tail rotor, and retractable tricycle landing gear with the aft wheels retracting into sponsons housing emergency equipment. Power comes from two FADEC-controlled Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turboshafts of 1,142 kW each. Avionics are built on the Honeywell Primus EPIC modular system with a four-screen glass cockpit, four-axis autopilot with auto-hover, single-pilot IFR certification, optional NVG compatibility and, in later builds, synthetic vision. Transmissions were developed by Westland GKN and Kawasaki Heavy Industries; Turkish Aerospace Industries supplies the fuselage, canopy and radome. In November 2015 the main gearbox completed a 60-minute run-dry test. The AW139M adds high-definition FLIR, a self-protection system, heavy-duty landing gear, an external stores system for armament, armoured seats, self-sealing tanks and full ice protection.

Operational History

The Irish Air Corps was the first military operator, receiving the first of six in August 2006, followed by the UAE Air Force (9) and Qatar Emiri Air Force (18). The Italian Air Force was launch customer for the AW139M, designated HH-139A and used for combat search and rescue. The Japan Coast Guard selected it in October 2006 to replace its Bell 212s, ordering 18 by 2011 through distributor Mitsui Bussan. CHC Helicopter became the largest operator worldwide in 2012 with 44 aircraft. The Royal Thai Army ordered two in 2012 and eight more in 2015; Pakistan contracted for SAR aircraft in 2016; 40 had been delivered to China by July 2022. The USAF selected the MH-139 in September 2018 to replace the UH-1N, accepting the first at Eglin AFB on 19 December 2019 and awarding a $285 million LRIP contract for 13 aircraft in March 2023.

Variants

• AB139: Original Italian-built production aircraft, 54 completed.
• AW139: Designation applied from the 55th aircraft onwards, including a long-nose configuration with increased avionics volume.
• AW139M: Militarised variant capable of carrying weapons payloads.
• HH-139A: Italian Air Force designation for ten search-and-rescue AW139Ms.
• MH-139A Grey Wolf: Boeing-Leonardo variant selected by the USAF to replace the UH-1N.