AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce the signing of a comprehensive service support contract for the South African Air Force’s fleet of AW109LUH helicopters. The annual contract includes the provision for it to be extended for up to 5 years. Under the contract AgustaWestland will be responsible for the delivery and provision of spares, support equipment, D-Level maintenance as well as component repair and overhaul services. AgustaWestland will also provide an on-site support team, technical support services, training and technical publication updates under the comprehensive support contract.
Patrick Chabrat, Head of Regional Sales, AgustaWestland, said “This wide ranging support contract will maximise aircraft availability whilst providing through life support cost savings to the customer. The AW109LUH has proven itself to be an ideal multi-role helicopter for the South African Air Force and this contract will enhance the availability of the aircraft to perform the wide range of tasks it is assigned.” AgustaWestland is a world leader in the provision of integrated support services for military helicopter fleets where operators want to leverage on AgustaWestland’s experience to reduce the costs of through life support whilst increasing aircraft availability.
In the UK, AgustaWestland’s award winning Integrated Operational Support (IOS) programmes are support the Ministry of Defence’s fleets of Sea King, AW101, Apache and AW159 helicopters. The South African Air Force purchased 30 AW109 LUH helicopters and it has now become the world's best selling military light-twin helicopter, with orders for over 100 helicopters placed by customers around the world. The AW109 LUH is able to satisfy a wide range of land-based as well as sea-based requirements. The AW109 LUH offers state-of-the-art mission-dedicated technology and equipment enhancing operational effectiveness while reducing pilot workload, together with unmatched performance, reliability, availability, serviceability and safety standards.
The South African Air Force aircraft feature an ergonomic cockpit with three 6” x 8” flat screen digital displays which are Night Vision Goggle (NVG) compatible. The aircraft can be flow single-pilot IFR/IMC and is highly manoeuvrable and has a maximum cruise speed of 283 km/h (153 knots). Operators use their AW109 LUHs in the most varied and demanding weather and environmental conditions, from the arctic to the tropics, to perform many roles including advanced training, troop transport, medical evacuation, search and rescue, maritime patrol, observation, armed escort and anti-armour. The AW109 LUH is operated by the armed forces of several nations including Sweden, South Africa, New Zealand and Malaysia.
AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that it has sold another AW139 to an undisclosed southern african customer for VIP/corporate transport operations. This latest sale follows the sale of AW139s in VIP/Corporate transport configuration to customers in several southern african countries including Namibia, Zambia, Congo Brazzaville, Rwanda and South Africa.
The AW139 is the new benchmark for executive helicopters. Designed to meet the rigorous standards of those who demand the best, the AW139 surpasses all other medium twin-engine helicopters in capability, speed, ride quality and passenger cabin space. Its sleek design, state-of-the-art avionics, luxurious accommodation and low noise signature sets new standards in the market. The AW139 delivers best-in-class performance with a cruise speed of 165 knots (306 kph), a range in excess of 500 nm (927 km), endurance of 5 hours and superior hover performance. With its power reserve, the AW139 assures Category “A” (Class 1) superior performance from a helipad (elevated or at ground level) at maximum take-off weight.
With the largest passenger cabin in its class the AW139 can accommodate its passengers in a spacious, comfortable and quiet environment. The unobstructed cabin design allows maximum flexibility for seating configurations whilst providing its passengers with excellent visibility through the six large cabin windows. Ample room is available for accessories such as telecommunications, work areas, refreshments and stowage space.
The baggage compartment, provides a massive 3.4 cubic metres (120 cubic feet) of storage which is easily accessible from both inside the passenger compartment and outside the helicopter. 500 AW139s are now in service performing many roles including EMS/SAR, offshore transport, VIP/corporate transport, law enforcement and military transport. Almost 170 customers from more than 50 countries have ordered more than 640 AW139 helicopters so far.