LEONARDO HELICOPTERS: SEVENTH AW119Kx of PORTUGUESE AIR FORCE SEEN DURING FACTORY FLIGHT.
- Contract awarded by the Portuguese Ministry of Defence on late 2018 for five helicopters plus options for two additional units with deliveries of the first one of five started on February 2019.
Portuguese Air Force has exercised the purchase option for two more helicopters, the second of the two is pictured here by our contributor Capenti Tiziano during the test flight at Venegono Inferiore Airport.
The AW119Kx of Portuguese Air Force helicopters are based at BA11 Beja Airbase and are operated by Esquadra 552 to perform a wide range of roles including training, MEDEVAC, troop transport and short range maritime SAR. The AW119Kx was selected following a thorough and rigorous assessment of competing models, demonstrating that Leonardo’s offer was the best suited to the stringent requirements set by the customer. The contract also includes options for two additional units.
The introduction of the AW119Kx marked a further reinforcement of the long standing partnership between Leonardo and the Portuguese MoD in the helicopter sector following the supply to the Air Force of AW101s for long range SAR (Click HERE to have a look at out article about Esquadra 751 equipped with AW101), utility, personnel recovery and fishery protection missions and of Super Lynx aircraft (including a Mid Life Upgrade) to the Portuguese Navy for maritime roles. The AW119Kx provides greater versatility and performance compared to the past fleet of ageing single engine rotary wing aircraft, as well as an outstanding training capability for military crews before moving to the AW101, Super Lynx.
The AW119Kx is a best in class single engine helicopter featuring an advanced avionics system for enhanced situational awareness, mission effectiveness and safety. The AW119Kx is provided with the largest cabin in its category, able to accommodate up to six passengers, and redundancy of all critical systems, typically available on multi-engine aircraft, ensuring outstanding safety and reliability. The new AW119Kx is perfectly suited to perform many roles including government/military duties, training, utility, EMS, firefighting, law enforcement, VIP/corporate transport and offshore transport. The TH-119 dedicated IFR variant is the one chosen by US Navy TH-XX requirement.
First AW119Kx of Portuguese Air Force delivered read HERE.