AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Italian Coast Guard has taken delivery of its first AW139 medium twin helicopter during an official ceremony held at AgustaWestland’s Vergiate plant in Italy. The AW139 will perform a range of missions including maritime patrol, search and rescue (SAR) and emergency medical services. Three more AW139s will be delivered in the coming months. The first Italian Coast Guard aircraft of this type is also the 300th AW139 delivered so far.

Due to the AW139’s outstanding capabilities, the Italian Coast Guard’s maritime patrol and SAR services around the Italian coast line and in its maritime economic exclusive zone will be greatly enhanced. Alessandro Parrini, Senior Vice President Italian Government Business Unit, said “We are delighted to add the Italian Coast Guard to the long list of coast guard and SAR operators worldwide who are already using the AW139 for these demanding duties. The AW139 has rapidly become the new generation medium twin of choice for such missions. It will allow the Italian Coast Guard to continue to play a key role in monitoring, protecting and assisting people around Italy’s shores.”

The AW139 is equipped with a wide range of SAR equipment including an external rescue hoist, cargo hook, wire strike protection system, search/weather radar, FLIR/LLTV system, NVG compatible cockpit, night sun searchlight, external loudspeaker system, emergency floatation system and external life rafts. The AW139 design which incorporates a large spacious cabin accessed by two sliding doors, powerful engines and class leading performance and safety, make it the aircraft of choice for SAR in its weight class. Excellent one engine inoperative capability ensures the aircraft can safely accomplish the most demanding rescue missions. The cockpit features the latest technology including a Honeywell Primus Epic® fully integrated avionics system, a 4-axis digital Automatic Flight Control System and large flat panel colour displays – reducing pilot workload and allowing the crew to concentrate on the rescue.

Many maritime, border patrol and security agencies from countries around the world, including Japan, Malaysia, the UK, USA, Spain, Estonia, Cyprus, South Korea, UAE and Italy, have selected or are already operating the AW139 to fulfil their requirements. Over 460 orders have been placed by almost 130 customers from over 50 countries to date, making it the benchmark helicopter in the medium twin category for a wide range of roles including EMS/SAR, offshore transport, VIP/corporate transport, law enforcement, fire fighting and other government duties.

Source: Agusta Westland