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Leonardo receives an AW139 helicopter order from Pakistan

Italian defence giant Leonardo announced (on March 28) that the Government of Pakistan “signed a new order for an undisclosed number of additional AgustaWestland AW139” utility helicopters.

Leonardo states that the AW139 will be used to undertake Pakistan’s search-and-rescue (SAR), emergency medical services (EMS) and general utility missions.

Notes & Comments:

Pakistan formally selected the AW139 for its future utility, SAR and EMS needs in May 2016. It committed to procuring an undisclosed number of AW139s, but through several batch orders, which were made in August 2016, February 2017 and, most recently, March 2017. In August, the Pakistani news broadcaster Dunya News reported that the armed forces ordered four AW139s in two batches. This indicates that each batch comprises of a small number of helicopters.

As per Leonardo, the Pakistani armed forces selected the AW139 for its performance in hot-and-high conditions. In Pakistan, the AW139’s test flights involved “take-offs and landings on unprepared surfaces at 16,300 feet (4968 m) density altitude and flights at 20,000 feet (6096 m).” It appears that the AW139 is being procured to replace Aérospatiale SA316 Alouette III and SA315B Lama utility helicopters, which Pakistan currently uses in SAR/EMS and high-altitude operations, respectively.

author avatar
Bilal Khan Founder
Founder of Quwa, Bilal has been researching Pakistani defence industry and security issues for over 15 years. His work has been cited by Pakistan's National Defence University (NDU), the Council of Foreign Relations, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Centre of Airpower Studies and many others. He has a Hons. B.A in Political Science and Masters of Interntional Public Policy from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
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5 Comments

  • by Aloo Piyaz
    Posted March 29, 2017 6:40 am 0Likes

    Very nice…. Pakistan should replace all Bell 412 with AW 139

  • by Rehan
    Posted March 29, 2017 8:33 pm 0Likes

    AoA, Bilal can you explain why it’s “undisclosed number “

  • by Bilal Khan
    Posted March 30, 2017 12:21 am 0Likes

    Leonardo doesn’t mind withholding some information. The Gov’t of Pakistan asked them to withhold information re: numbers.

  • by Mustafa O
    Posted March 30, 2017 1:11 pm 0Likes

    It’s for Air force csar for God sakes

  • by Superior Shakeel
    Posted April 2, 2017 6:44 am 0Likes

    IDK about Csar mostly likely will be used to ferry our VVIP gernails and their families and no good political elite

    While we can’t finalize and purchase a decent rifle and still using old obsolete designs and don’t have enough armored vehicles while our brave ground infantry man is being blown to bits left and right but good we got super Uber expensive choppers to ferry the elite because

    Screw the common soldier and man SMH.

    PS not even India uses such expensive choppers use old Russian flying pillboxes these choppers are very very expensive this money is better spent on fighter jets or basic equipment our infantry man needs.

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