Leonardo's participation in Heli-Expo, the largest helicopter show in the world, has seen the company take further steps forward this year in terms of market positioning, service delivery, new program development and presence in the US. During the show, the world's leading manufacturer in the field of civil helicopters in terms of value, with a 40% share in 2018, also announced new contracts. The new orders include two AW2 offshore helicopters with options for four AW139s in Mexico and an additional AW169 search and rescue helicopter for the Japan Coast Guard. Leonardo also sees its entry into the Ecuadorian military helicopter market where the Air Force is about to receive four AW139Ke for training, utility, patrol and rescue tasks.
The company also records new milestones for the program of the AW609 tiltrotor, awaiting FAA certification in the USA, with the start of series construction and the forthcoming entry of components into the final assembly line in Philadelphia. The construction of the first Full Motion simulator of the AW609 was then started, which will be operational in 2020 for the training of the next generation of pilots based on the new certification category defined by the US authorities. The interest of the world market for the revolutionary AW609 continues to grow with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the important Japanese operator Nakanihon Air Service aimed at evaluating the opportunities that the tiltrotor could seize in the Asian country for transport tasks and public utility. Leader also on the US civil helicopter market with the highest revenues generated by deliveries for the second consecutive year, Leonardo remains strongly committed to this country to meet new requirements and expectations.
A new one is expected to open Training Academy in Philadelphia in 2020 to respond to the growing demand for training services, considering the increase of pilots and maintenance technicians of Leonardo's customers in North and South America. Philadelphia also remains highly focused on the US Navy requirement for the new training helicopter for which the Company is ready to offer the TH119, the only single-engine capable of operating under instrument flight rules and for which FAA certification is awaited. soon. The TH-119 is equipped with unique and fundamental capabilities for the training of future naval helicopter pilots. Furthermore, the most modern twin-engine light helicopter available on the market today, the AW109 Trekker, has obtained FAA certification. It is the fastest helicopter in its category, an ideal feature for emergency response tasks, and the only one with a cabin capable of allowing doctors full access to the patient's body for rescue missions. The AW109 Trekker represents an ideal solution for the largest air ambulance market in the world, the North American one, where the air ambulance fleet consists mainly of obsolete models with 30 years of operational service and which will soon need to be replaced.
A Heli Expo Leonardo has also introduced improved or totally new assistance services in order to further raise the level of customer proximity, innovation, sharing and data analysis for greater efficiency in fleet management, reliability and safety. The significant efforts made by the Company over the years to increasingly improve the general quality of the service was recognized during the show by the important specialized magazine Professional Pilot which, for the first time in twenty-four years, placed Leonardo at the top of the manufacturers' classification in the field of customer service.
