Leonardo today announced a further expansion of its presence on the Japanese helicopter market, winning various tenders with orders for AW169, AW139 and AW189 helicopters in fire-fighting configuration.
Leonardo and the Japanese distributor of the AW169/AW139 models, Mitsui Bussan Aerospace, have signed contracts with the Yamaguchi Prefecture, for an AW169, and with those of Shizuoka and Fukushima, each of which is destined for an AW139, the latter model of great success in Japan with a fleet of over 50 units, also dedicated to firefighting duties. The AW169 ordered by the Yamaguchi Prefecture is instead the third helicopter of this type sold in Japan, the first for firefighting duties, demonstrating the significant potential of the product in this market. The contract signed with the City of Tokyo instead marks the entry into the Japanese market of the AW189 model. All helicopters will enter service between spring 2019 and spring 2020, replacing other models that have now become obsolete.
The new helicopters will be equipped with dedicated equipment for individual customers, as well as standard systems such as a bucket for transporting water for firefighting missions, a recovery winch, a searchlight. The Tokyo AW189 will be able to carry up to 19 people in the cabin, and will be equipped with a double winch and an auxiliary fuel tank for long-range transport missions to more distant islands. The Shizuoka-based AW139 will carry out rescue tasks in the Mount Fuji area and will be equipped with a ventral tank for firefighting and an advanced high-definition camera for ground-air-ground image sharing. The undercarriage of the Fukushima AW139 will also be equipped with skids for operating on snow. For rescue and firefighting, the Yamaguchi Prefecture will benefit, for example, from advanced avionics and the modern camera mounted on board the AW169.
With these contracts Leonardo confirms its leadership position on the Japanese helicopter market as regards public utility tasks, with numerous AW109 and AW139 already in service every day to support the national population. There are about 120 Leonardo helicopters currently used in Japan.
In parallel, the company led by Alessandro Profumo Leonardo announced today during the Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC, Fort Worth, Texas 16-18 October) that Travis County in Texas has signed a contract for three AgustaWestland AW169 helicopters.
The order is part of the STAR Flight emergency and rescue support program, through which the County aims to acquire more modern products to increase the operational capabilities of its fleet. Travis County thus becomes the US launch customer for the AW169 in air ambulance configuration, with deliveries expected in October 2018.
In addition to transporting patients to hospital facilities, the AW169s will also perform search and rescue, law enforcement and firefighting missions in the Austin, Texas area. Thanks to the three helicopters, the STAR Flight program will benefit from an increase in its intervention capabilities, for example by covering greater distances for the transport of patients or intervening more quickly in the fight against fires.
The configuration of the helicopters includes dedicated medical equipment and the versatility necessary to perform, if necessary, search and rescue and firefighting tasks. Among the systems envisaged, in fact, there is also a recovery winch for rescue and a ventral tank for transporting water for firefighting missions.
The contract expands the worldwide success achieved in a few years by the AW169, and also obtained with the adoption of the new model by various customers operating in the emergency field. In the USA the AW169 is already present and has been chosen by other operators for VIP/Corporate transport. Today, more than 160 helicopters of this type have been ordered by around 70 customers in 30 countries.
