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Aircraft And Military Development & Applications

11-Aqusta Westland-AW139

The AgustaWestland AW139 is a 15-seat medium-sized twin-engined helicopter developed and produced principally by AgustaWestland. It is marketed at several different roles, including VIP/corporate transport, offshore transport, fire fighting, law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency medical service, disaster relief, and maritime patrol. In addition to AgustaWestland's own manufacturing facilities in Italy and the United States, the AW139 is produced in Russia by HeliVert, a joint venture between AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters.

Maximum speed: 310 km/h (192.63 mph) Maiden flight: 03 Feb 2001 Length: 54.63 ft Wingspan: 45.28 ft Passengers: 15 Introduced: 2003

The AW139 is a medium sized, new generation twin-turbine military helicopter developed and produced principally by AgustaWestland. At a maximum speed of 306km/h, the AW139 comes 5th amongst world’s fastest helicopters. The AW139 can transport up to 10 fully equipped soldiers or 15 passengers at very high speeds.

Since 2003, the AW139 has become one of AgustaWestland’s most influential products; it has been subsequently developed into two enlarged medium-lift helicopters, the military-orientated AW149 and the AW189 for the civil market. The AW139 (formerly known as the AB139) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, which was developed by Bell Agusta Aerospace, a joint venture of Bell Helicopter Textron of the US and AgustaWestland.

In November 2005, Bell announced that it was selling its stake in the AB139 programme to AgustaWestland. Following the sale, the helicopter was renamed AW139 in February 2006.

The AW139 is available in both civil and military configurations and is capable of carrying up to 15 passengers or 2,500kg (5,500lb) useful load. Civil applications include passenger transport, law enforcement, utility and offshore oil support. Other roles include search and rescue (SAR), cargo lift and firefighting.
As of June 2011, more than 500 AW139 helicopters have been delivered and more than 400 are in service in around 50 countries.

AW139 key players
A number of international companies are involved in the programme including Pratt & Whitney of Canada, Honeywell of the USA, PZL Swidnik of Poland, Liebherr of Germany, Kawasaki of Japan and others.

The AW139, along with the BA609, is built at Agusta's Final Assembly Line in Vergiate plant, Italy. An AW139, (formerly known as the AB139)
assembly line has been built at the Agusta Aerospace Corporation plant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first AW139 built at the new facility was delivered in December 2006. A second assembly line was added in February 2008.

All parts and components for both lines come from the same sources and the aircraft is identical whether assembled in Italy or in the USA.The AW139 helicopter can climb at a rate of 10.9m/s. The maximum and cruise speeds of the helicopter are 310km/h and 306km/h respectively. The maximum range and service ceiling of the helicopter are 1,250km and 6,096m . The maximum endurance of the helicopter is five hours 56 minutes. The AW139 weighs around 3,622kg and the maximum take-off weight is 6,400kg.

General characteristics
Crew: one or two
Capacity: 15 passengers
Length: 16.66 m (54 ft 8 in)
Main rotor diameter: × 13.80 m (45 ft 3 in)
Width: 2.26 m (10 ft 0 in)
Height: 4.98 m (16 ft 4 in)
Main rotor area: 149.57 m2 (1609.97 ft2)
Empty weight: 3,622 kg (7,985 lb)
Gross weight: 6,400 (7,000kg for 7t version) kg (14,110 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turboshaft engine, 1,142 kW (1,531 hp) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 310 km/h (193 mph)
Cruising speed: 306 km/h (191 mph)
Range: 1,250 km ( miles)
Endurance: 5 hours 56 min
Service ceiling: 6,096 m (20,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 10.9 m/s (2,140 ft/min)

Armament
2 x 7.62 mm FN MAG machine guns mounted in side windows (Irish Air Corps)

Role: Medium-lift SAR/utility helicopter
Manufacturer: AgustaWestland
First flight: 3 February 2001
Introduction: 2003
Status: In production
Primary users: Italian Air Force
CHC Helicopter, Irish Air Corps
UAE Air Force
Produced: 2001-present
Number built: 770
Unit cost: $12 million (2013)
Developed into: AgustaWestland AW149