At the International Defense Industry Exhibition MSPO in Poland, the Italian company Leonardo presents its HH-139 helicopter used by the Italian Air Force which is a customized variant of the AW139 helicopter platform. Leonardo has proposed to develop the AW139W for the Polish armed forces based on the AW139 platform proposed by Leonardo through the Polish company PZL-Świdnik.
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Italian Air Force HH-139 helicopter at MSPO 2021 defense exhibition in Kielce, Poland. (Picture source Army Recognition)
The AW139 is a 15-seat medium-sized twin-engine helicopter developed and built by AgustaWestland who is now part of Leonardo. The AW139 is a conventional twin-engine multi-role helicopter. It has a five-bladed fully articulated main rotor with a titanium hub and composite blades and a four-bladed articulated tail rotor. It is fitted with retractable tricycle landing gear, the two aft wheels retracting into external sponsons which are also used to house emergency equipment.
The AW139M – military version of the AW139 – has been designed to perform a wide range of missions, day and night, in the most challenging environments. Operators worldwide benefit from advanced technology, high power margins and inherent high levels of safety and survivability.
The AW139M helicopter carries a wide range of weapon systems based on the mission requirements. The helicopter can be armed with 12.7mm sniper rifle and 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine guns for law enforcement and homeland security roles. The battlefield support can also carry heavy machine guns, 70mm air-to-ground rockets and air-to-surface missiles.
The AW139M is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67C turboshaft engines equipped with a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system. Each engine develops a rated take-off power of 1,252kW. It can fly at a maximum cruise speed of 306 km/h and has a cruising range of up to 1,250 km with 1,65 4kg fuel and no reserve. The maximum endurance of the AW139M is about six hours.
