The AgustaWestland AW149 is a medium-lift multi-role military
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
developed by
AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland was an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica (now known as Leonardo). It was formed in July 2000 as an Anglo-Italian multinational company, when Finmeccanica ...
, now
Leonardo
Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard
Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname.
The given name and surname originate ...
, launched in 2006. On 20 June 2011 AgustaWestland announced the
AW189
The AgustaWestland AW189 is a twin-engined, super-medium-lift helicopter manufactured by Leonardo S.p.A. It is derived from the AW149, and shares similarities with the AW139 and AW169.
Development
On 20 June 2011, development of the eight-tonn ...
, a civilian development of the AW149, for service in 2013.
Design and development
The AW149 was unveiled at the 2006
Farnborough Air Show
The Farnborough Airshow, officially the Farnborough International Airshow, is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors. Since its fir ...
. Derived from the
AW139
The AgustaWestland AW139 is a medium-lift twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, later wholly owned by Leonardo S.p.A. It is marketed at several different roles, including V ...
, the AW149 has a larger fuselage and more powerful engines, resulting in a greater cargo volume and payload carrying ability.
On 13 November 2009, the first prototype conducted its first flight from AgustaWestland's
Vergiate
Vergiate is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 45 km northwest of Milan and about 15 km southwest of Varese. As of 31 December 2018 it had a population of 8,716
Vergiate bo ...
manufacturing facility in northern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
On 26 February 2011, the second prototype, the first with production model engines, made its first flight from Vergiate.
Operational history
Military certification for the AW149 was announced by Finmeccanica at the 2014 Farnborough airshow. The landing gear can sustain a touchdown with a sink speed of 9.5 m/s, compared with the 2 m/s for a civilian helicopter. The AW149 is being marketed as an alternative to the
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift Utility helicopter, utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transpo ...
family. Thailand has ordered 5 AW149 helicopters, and is the first export customer.
The
Italian Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 28 March ...
considered it as a search and rescue helicopter, but chose the lighter
AW139M instead.
In April 2019, the Egyptian Navy ordered 24 AW149s with option for 10 more; first deliveries took place in late 2020.
AgustaWestland submitted a version of the AW149, designated ''TUHP149'', as a candidate for the Turkish Utility Helicopter Program (TUHP) for the
Turkish Armed Forces
The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; tr, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, TSK) are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. Turkish Armed Forces consist of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The current Chi ...
. The programme sought an initial batch of 109 helicopters worth $4 billion, prospective follow-on orders for subsequent batches may eventually rise to 300 rotorcraft.
On 21 April 2011, the Turkish defence minister announced that the
Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk had been selected as the winner.
Leonardo has proposed the AW149 for the UK's
New Medium Helicopter programme, which aims to replace the RAF's
Puma helicopters, with production to be at Leonardo's
Yeovil
Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...
factory if the bid is successful.
In June 2022 Polish defence minister said Poland would order 32 AW149 helicopters, with production to be at Leonardo's
PZL Świdnik
PZL (''Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze'' - State Aviation Works) was the main Polish aerospace manufacturer of the interwar period, and a brand of their aircraft. Based in Warsaw between 1928 and 1939, PZL introduced a variety of well-regarded air ...
factory. The contract was signed on July 1, 2022, and has a value of $ 1.85 billion (€ 1.76 billion). Delivery planned in years 2023-2029.
Operators
;
*
Egyptian Navy
The Egyptian Navy ( ar, القوات البحرية المصرية, El-Quwwāt el-Bahareya el-Miṣriyya, Egyptian Navy Forces), also known as the Egyptian Naval Force, is the maritime branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces. It is the largest navy ...
(24 ordered in 2019 with options for 10 more; 5 delivered in 2020, 5 delivered in 2021)
;
*
Polish Army
The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stret ...
(32 ordered in 2022, delivery planned from 2023 to 2029)
;
*
Royal Thai Police
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) ( th, สำนักงานตำรวจแห่งชาติ; ) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants (excludi ...
(1 in service)
*
Royal Thai Army
The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.
History
Origin
The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's so ...
(5 in service)
Specifications (AW149)
See also
References
External links
Leonardo AW149 page* [http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3A27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3A47aefbc8-2ba9-486e-b9f9-12100f7665b7 AgustaWestland Unveils AW149 for Turkey]
{{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation
Military helicopters
AgustaWestland aircraft, AW149
2000s international military transport aircraft
2000s international helicopters
Twin-turbine helicopters
Aircraft first flown in 2009