Leonardo and Mitsui Bussan Aerospace, official distributor in Japan for the AW139 and AW169 helicopter models, announced today the signing of a contract for an AW169 with the telecommunications company Asahi Broadcasting Corporation. The helicopter, which replaces an old model, will be used to shoot television and will enter into service in the 2021 after the necessary customization and installation of specific equipment. The AW169 will be equipped with a ultra-stabilized ultra HD camera, downlink for live broadcasts and a complete TV console.
This is the fourth order for AW169 in Japan, the second for television footage after the one for the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, reflecting customer satisfaction for the model. The AW169 is perfectly suited for use in this type of activity thanks to high performance, considerable space in the cabin and total compliance with the latest safety and flexibility standards. Leonardo has a long experience and a growing presence among Japanese media with orders for seven AW139 (NHK TV Kansai, Nippon TV, Chukyo TV), two AW169 and AW109 GrandNew (Asahi Shimbun and ABC). In Japan almost 120 helicopters Leonardo are in service for various missions, including air ambulance, search and rescue, public safety, fire fighting, civil protection, passenger transport, television shooting, naval operations.
The 4,6 / 4,8 AWX light-weight helicopter has been designed to meet the growing market demand for an aircraft capable of high performance, meeting the latest safety standards and multi-role capability. Almost 169 AW50 are delivered to customers in Europe, Middle East, Asia, Australia and South America and more than 169 helicopters sold to date by more than 170 customers in almost 70 countries around the world for different uses such as public order, eliambulanza, offshore and passenger transport, utilities and publishing support.
Asahi Broadcasting Corporation
Third Japanese commercial issuer in order of foundation, the Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) broadcasts television and radio programs from more than 60 years from Osaka, the second largest city in the country. The region in which ABC is based is also the city of Kyoto and Nara, two historical cities with a rich cultural heritage. The area has been the center of Japanese history and culture for over 1400 years. By making the best use of all this potential, ABC has produced and will continue to produce cultural and informative material for the whole world.
Leonardo is among the top ten companies in the world in Aerospace, Defense and Security and the leading Italian industrial company. Operational since January 2016 as one company organized in seven business divisions (Helicopters, Airplanes, Aerostructures, Avionics and Space Systems, Electronics for Terrestrial and Naval Defense, Defense Systems, Systems for Security and Information), Leonardo competes on the most important international markets by leveraging its areas of technological and product leadership. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in the 2016 Leonardo recorded consolidated revenues of 12 billion euros and has a significant industrial presence in Italy, the United Kingdom, the USA and Poland.