Leonardo today announced the recent delivery of the first HH-139B twin-engine helicopter for the Italian Air Force, a customized variant of the bestseller AW139. This is the first of the 17 planned HH-139s, delivered by the Leonardo plant in Vergiate (VA). The deliveries of all machines will be completed by 2021, in order to strengthen the multi-role capabilities of the Italian Air Force, an essential element in emergency management and in response to national security requirements. The helicopter will be used by the 15th Wing, a department that carries out search and rescue tasks as well as cooperation and intervention in favor of the civilian population in the event of a disaster.
The HH-139Bs will be used for a wide range of missions such as Search and Rescue, Fire Fighting, Slow Mover Intercept, joining the current fleet of 13 multirole HH-139As and 4 VH-139As, these the latter used for government transport missions. Compared to the HH-139A, the variant with a maximum take-off weight of 7 tons HH-139B features, among other specific features, a new electro-optical system, new radar, new recovery winch and a mission console in the cabin. The basic avionics will be the most up-to-date, allowing for even more advanced navigation capabilities and even greater safety in all weather conditions.
In order to guarantee the highest level of response and effectiveness, the helicopters will be distributed on different bases thus ensuring an extensive coverage of the national territory. Each machine can be quickly reconfigured from rescue / health care tasks to firefighting. The growth in the number of HH-139 in service with the Air Force also allows to take advantage of logistic, operational, technical, certification and training synergies for the entire fleet of AW139 helicopters employed by government operators and with public utility tasks in Italy. This aspect strengthens the possibility of carrying out effective and safe joint operations with other users of this modern helicopter model and represents an important qualitative leap in terms of national security, emergency response capacity and cost / effectiveness for the management of the entire cycle. life of the product in the future. During the pandemic, the AW139s confirmed unique rescue capabilities, being widely used in Italy for the transport of patients on stretchers in biocontainment.
In Italy, the AW139 was also selected by the Guardia di Finanza, the State Police, the Coast Guard, the Fire Brigade and the Carabinieri, as well as by various emergency medical service operators. The Air Force's HH-139B program brings the total number of AW80s chosen by all these government operators to nearly 139, for a wide range of institutional tasks including law and order and national security, patrol, special operations and counter-terrorism, research and rescue, fire fighting, command and control, government / VVIP transport, civil protection and training.
Many military or public safety operators in different countries around the world have chosen or are already using the AW139 in response to their operational needs. With orders placed by more than 280 customers in more than 70 countries, the AW139 is the most successful helicopter program in the last 15 years with nearly 1100 units in service and more than 2,9 million flight hours carried out on multiple missions. The US Air Force will soon introduce the Boeing MH-139, based on Leonardo's AW139, to replace its UH-1N helicopter fleet.
Leonardo is committed to supporting and protecting people and communities around the world, contributing to their sustainable growth, thanks to leadership in next generation technologies. Collaboration with governments, individuals and in the industrial sector, aimed at offering the best security capabilities, is one of the foundations of the “Be Tomorrow - Leonardo 2030” Strategic Plan.
