The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has signed a contract for two AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopters. These helicopters, which will be delivered by the end of 2015, will be operated by the Bangladesh Air Force to perform maritime search and rescue (SAR) and other utility missions.

This contract, which also includes a comprehensive support and training package, marks the establishment of the first dedicated maritime SAR helicopter fleet in the country. The AW139 was selected after an extensive evaluation process against a wide range of requirements including performance and safety. By choosing the AW139, the Bangladesh MoD will leverage on Finmeccanica – AgustaWestland’s extensive expertise in SAR and emergency services as well as the unmatched capabilities of the bestselling and most modern helicopter for the task.

The Bangladesh Air Force’s AW139s will feature an advanced mission configuration including a search/weather radar, FLIR, search light, rescue hoist, emergency floats and a state-of-the-art 4-axis dual digital AFCS with hover and SAR modes. Thanks to the AW139, the Bangladesh Air Force will be able to carry out the most demanding all-weather SAR operations in a maritime environment and will benefit from the high role versatility of the helicopter to conduct other utility missions in support of maritime security and disaster relief operations.

More than 770 AW139s have been ordered by more than 200 customers in over 60 nations worldwide. The AW139 has been selected by, and is now performing SAR duties with, a large number of military and commercial operators in Italy, UK, Spain, Estonia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Sweden to name a few. The AW139, as the market leader in its class, is also widely used for offshore transport, passenger transport, law enforcement, emergency medical service, VIP/corporate transport and firefighting missions.

The AW139 helicopter is part of AgustaWestland’s family of new generation helicopters that also includes the AW169 and AW189. These helicopters all possess the same high-performance flight characteristics and safety features whilst sharing the same common cockpit concept and design philosophy. This approach facilitates synergies for operators of these models in areas such as training, maintenance and support.