Leonardo today announced the signing of a contract with the Guardia di Finanza for 22 next-generation twin-engine helicopters AW169M. The contract, worth 280 million euros, also includes a complete support and training package that could be extended in the future with additional services worth up to 100 million. Deliveries will start in the summer of 2019 and will end in 2024. The helicopters will be used for different tasks including patrolling and reconnaissance, public order, rescue and security missions by joining the fleet of 14 AW139, of which you are already in service and eight in delivery next year.
"This contract will allow us to provide the Guardia di Finanza with a new generation of helicopter equipped with the best on-board technologies that can be exploited to carry out increasingly complex and challenging missions. Our commitment to providing innovative products that meet the needs of Italian Corps and Armed Forces is the contribution that a leading company in technology and innovation like Leonardo can offer for the safety of our country ", commented Leonardo's CEO , Alessandro Profumo.
The AW169M of the Guardia di Finanza will get the military qualification from ARMAEREO and will be equipped with a special configuration including rescue winch, floats and lifeboats, cutters, advanced systems of proximity to the ground and anti-collision - even Leonardo design - cockpit compatible with the use of night vision devices, diagnostic systems, autopilot optimized for search and rescue tasks, searchlight, ice presence detector, system for rapid descent of personnel for special operations, satellite communications. The helicopters will also be equipped with a wide range of systems and sensors supplied by Leonardo including the ATOS RW mission system with an advanced console, the Gabbian surveillance radar, the LEOSS electro-optic system, the transponder for friend detection / enemy IFF M428, V / UHF communication systems, control panels and lighting systems and the possibility to use the hyperspectral system for remote sensing SPHYDER.
The contract with the Guardia di Finanza further increases the success of the AW169 in Italy, already used for rescue by several customers all over the country, and follows that obtained in Europe and North and South America for public order tasks .
DEEPENING
The AW169M is the military variant of the new generation twin-engine helicopter from 4,8 tons AW169 designed according to the most stringent EASA requirements for military, public security and government customers. The AW169M is equipped with extraordinary characteristics in terms of power, agility and maneuverability that allow it to operate in many environmental conditions, even at high altitudes and in the presence of high temperatures. The main on-board systems can continue to be powered on the ground with the fixed rotors optimizing response times and mission effectiveness. The cabin is the largest in its class and allows you to take full advantage of the internal volume, allowing rapid reconfiguration based on the type of mission and ease of access. Riders can benefit from a state-of-the-art avionics component, characterized by the capacity to grow their functions based on the evolution of customer needs, including an entirely digital cockpit that, together with the extraordinary external visibility, ensures greater awareness of the context tactical and operational.