Leonardo announced today the signing of a contract with the Carabinieri for the supply of 20 AW119Kx single-engine helicopters for its Air Service. The helicopters will be assembled at the Vergiate (Varese) plant with deliveries expected between 2023 and 2026. The contract also includes a complete package of turnkey logistical technical support and training services for pilots and maintenance technicians.
The supply will allow the Carabinieri to respond to the needs of modernization of the fleet in order to ensure greater and better safety of citizens, through a more incisive control of the territory, favoring research, exploration, reconnaissance and land patrolling, identifying and identifying sensitive targets, monitoring behaviors, acquiring sources of evidence and guiding the intervention of ground units. To these tasks are added support for environmental protection and, at the request of the Civil Protection Department, forest fire fighting, as well as rescue missions.
The AW119Kx are equipped with digital technologies that allow an increase in operational efficiency and lower management costs and can be used in existing infrastructures throughout the country including 18 bases. The equipment provided for the helicopters will allow full interoperability with other assets of the Carabinieri and coordination capabilities with those of other Armed Forces and State Bodies, both in national and international contexts.
Gian Piero Cutillo, MD Leonardo Helicopters, stated: "The introduction of the AW119Kx in the Carabinieri Air Service fleet represents an ideal complement to the capabilities the operator is equipping with the AW139 and AW169, in response to the wide spectrum of needs expressed by its institutional responsibilities and in an evolving and increasingly complex operational scenario. We are proud to continue to provide our contribution to the weapon with assets capable of fully responding to the new challenges of security and support for the national population ”.
The perculiary characteristics of the AW119Kx and the relative certification standards and military qualifications will allow the operator to carry out missions even in urban contexts in an effective and safe way thanks to the characteristics of systemic redundancy, power margin, great external visibility, sophisticated digital navigation avionics and mission. This latest model is based on the Garmin G1000H cockpit equipped with large color displays, synthetic view of the outdoor setting, ground proximity system, flight information on the map in real time (moving map) enslaved by GPS. This helicopter model features a large cabin and a large luggage compartment, as well as a high distance of the main rotor from the ground to ensure greater safety on the ground for people during the mission. The equipment provided for the AW119Kx of the Carabinieri includes high definition (HD) electro-optical system, barycentric hook, data-link mission-transmission console, hyperspectral system for environmental monitoring and control, radio communications, cable cutters, fire-fighting bucket, lighthouse of research. There is also provision for the installation of floats and lifeboats, and snow kits.
Equipped with great versatility, the AW119 features avionics that allow both to operate according to the rules of visual flight, and instrumental. This allows for greater awareness of the operational context for the crew, mission effectiveness and safety, providing operators with several options to meet their specific requirements. This helicopter model offers unmatched performance with high power margins and the largest cabin in its class, capable of accommodating up to six passengers depending on the configuration. Over 490 AW119s have been sold to date.
