AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the government of Trinidad and Tobago has signed a contract to purchase four AW139 medium twin turbine helicopters.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Air Guard (TTAG) will establish a dedicated unit to use these helicopters for search and rescue, surface surveillance, law enforcement, drug interdiction and disaster relief operations.
The contract also includes an extensive training and logistical support service for the first five years. The contract, comprising the aircraft and support package, is valued at US$348 million.
A consortium involving AgustaWestland, Bristow Caribbean, FB Heliservices of UK and Helidex of USA will be established to manage the AW139 programme in Trinidad and Tobago with training services to be supplied in Italy, the UK and the USA. Operations will primarily take place from Piarco International Airport and from offshore patrol vessels, working in conjunction with the Coast Guard. This order marks the establishment of the first Search and Rescue helicopter unit in the country.
Giuseppe Orsi, Chief Executive Officer, AgustaWestland said “We are delighted that the Trinidad and Tobago has selected the AW139 to meet its search and rescue and homeland security requirements. This purchase demonstrates the continued success of the AW139 platform worldwide and in the Central America and Caribbean markets where we see good business opportunities in the future”.
The TTAG joins a number of AW139 operators worldwide including the Spanish Marine Safety Agency, the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Italian Coast Guard, the Japanese Coast Guard, the Korean Coast Guard and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in selecting the AW139 for their SAR missions.
The AW139 is the best selling medium twin-engine helicopter in the world. To date, almost 440 orders for this helicopter have been placed by nearly 120 customers in more than 40 countries for a wide variety of applications including EMS/SAR, law enforcement, offshore transport, VIP/corporate transport, fire fighting, utility and other commercial and government roles.
The state-of-the-art AW139 is designed with inherent multi-role capability and flexibility of operation. It offers unmatched performance and safety levels as well as the largest cabin in its class. Large sliding doors enable quick and easy access for fast rope activities. With a maximum cruise speed of 165 kts (306 km/h), a maximum range of 573 nm (1061 km) and over 5 hours endurance, the AW139 helicopter offers best-in-class mission capability.
Cutting-edge mission-dedicated technology and equipment and outstanding performance features enable the AW139 to accomplish the most demanding operations in the harshest weather and environmental conditions.
