Leonardo: Los Angeles Fire Department orders the fifth AW139 helicopter

(To Leonardo)
14/12/18

Leonardo announced today that the Los Angeles Fire Department has ordered its fifth AW139 helicopter with scheduled delivery in the spring of the 2019 from the Philadelphia plant. The helicopter will be used primarily in fire and rescue missions.

The Fire Department of Los Angeles protects a population of over four million inhabitants in the second largest city in the US, covering an area of ​​intervention of over 400 square miles with 106 bases and more than 3200 firefighters. The air operations of the Department include fire fighting, medical evacuation, rescue with the use of the winch, reconnaissance and mapping of the territory. The helicopter fleet is based on Van Nuys airport.

Since the arrival of the first AW139 in the 2008, the four helicopters currently in service have accumulated over 7000 hours of flight responding to more than 700 calls every year. The AW139 demonstrated outstanding operational capabilities and reliability in the fight against forest fires that hit the southern California area. Among the equipment provided for these helicopters and requested by the customer there are, among others, searchlight, recovery winch, ventral tank for water used in extinguishing fires, cable cutters and a modular and reconfigurable cab to ensure maximum versatility of mission.