Leonardo has announced that the Portuguese Ministry of Defense has chosen the AW119Kx as its new multi-role helicopter in response to its various operational needs. The contract, worth over 20 million euros, provides for the supply of five helicopters to the Portuguese Air Force, with the possibility of options for a further two. Deliveries will start at the end of 2018 from the Philadelphia plant in the USA and will be completed at the beginning of 2020. The AW119Kx will be used for various operational tasks including training, medical evacuation, troop transport and short sea search and rescue, with the possibility of being used also for firefighting missions.
The AW119Kx was chosen after a careful evaluation among several competitors, proving to be the best solution to satisfy the customer's requirements. This contract further strengthens the long collaboration between Leonardo and the Portuguese Ministry of Defense in the helicopter field after the supply of AW101 used by the Italian Air Force for long-term research and rescue, utilities, personnel recovery and protection of fishing activities, and the Super Lynx used by the Navy for naval missions and currently undergoing modernization. The AW119Kx will ensure greater versatility and higher performance than single-engine helicopters currently used in the Portuguese Air Force, as well as extraordinary training skills to the benefit of the crews for the front-line models such as the AW101 and the Super Lynx.
The AW119Kx, adds Leonardo in a note, is the best single-engine helicopter available on the market today, equipped with advanced avionics capable of ensuring greater awareness of operating conditions, high performance and safety standards. The AW119Kx boasts the largest cabin in its category, capable of accommodating up to six passengers, and features the redundancy of all the main critical systems, a typical feature of higher class helicopters, guaranteeing an unrivaled level of safety and reliability. Almost 320 AW119s have been ordered to date by around 130 customers in 40 countries. The AW119Kx is ideal for military and government duties, utilities, EMS, firefighting, law enforcement, training, VIP/corporate transport and offshore.
