AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Carabineros de Chile have accepted their fifth AW109 Power light twin helicopter. A ceremony was recently held at FIDAE 2012 in Santiago in the presence of several dignitaries and representatives from the Chilean Government, the Italian Embassy and the operator. The Carabineros de Chile has public order and safety, crime control, counter terrorism, drug control and border security across the nation as their primary responsibilities and for the last four years their AW109 Powers have been effectively and successfully supporting these missions as well as performing search and rescue and transport. The latest expansion of the fleet with the operational readiness of its fifth AW109 Power, ordered in 2011, will further enhance the operational capability of the Carabineros de Chile and its ability to serve the community.

A highly versatile light twin engine helicopter offering outstanding levels of performance with low operating costs, the AW109 Power was selected by Carabineros de Chile for its exceptional hot and high performance combined with its multi-role capabilities and attractive operating costs, after a rigorous evaluation process. Delivering superior speed, capacity, productivity and ease of maintenance, it continues to set the standard in its class in the markets around the world. The AW109 Power attributes include a single pilot instrument flight capability, a class leading maximum cruise speed of 154 knots (285 km/h) and unmatched single engine safety.

The AW109 Power’s unobstructed and spacious cabin allows easy configuration changes between roles and additionally the large baggage compartment can be used to carry a range of mission equipment. Its characteristics make it the ideal solutions for law enforcement purposes. The AW109 Power law enforcement variant is designed to perform a wide range of security duties to meet the changing demands of law enforcement: patrol, surveillance and tactical operations, state border control, counter terrorism, search and rescue, armed interdiction and other homeland security missions. Numerous law enforcement and security agencies around the world have chosen the AW109 Power to fulfil their requirements in Chile, Japan, China, Italy, the USA, Latvia, United Kingdom and Slovenia to name a few. Over 470 helicopters have been sold in almost 50 countries worldwide to date to perform law enforcement, EMS, VIP/corporate transport and harbour pilot shuttle missions.

Source and photo: AgustaWestland