AgustaWestland

AgustaWestland S.p.A.

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Aircraft manufacturing
Predecessor	Agusta, Westland Helicopters
Founded	2000
Defunct	2016
Fate	Merged into Leonardo S.p.A.
Successor	Leonardo Helicopters (division of Leonardo S.p.A.)
Headquarters	Rome , Italy
Key people	Daniele Romiti (Chief Executive Officer)
Products	Helicopters
Owner	Finmeccanica (now Leonardo)
Number of employees	12,500 (2015)
Parent	Finmeccanica (now Leonardo)
Website	helicopters.leonardo.com

Overview

AgustaWestland operated as a helicopter design and manufacturing firm with Anglo-Italian roots. It was fully owned by Finmeccanica, now rebranded as Leonardo. The company originated in July 2000 through the merger of Finmeccanica's Agusta and GKN's Westland Helicopters, creating a multinational enterprise jointly held, with each party initially owning 50%. In 2004, Finmeccanica purchased GKN’s share, gaining complete ownership.

In 2016, AgustaWestland was integrated into Leonardo S.p.A. (previously Finmeccanica), becoming the helicopter division branded as Leonardo Helicopters. Although AgustaWestland remains a subsidiary within Leonardo’s corporate structure, its public brand identity has been discontinued.

Company Profile

• Name: AgustaWestland S.p.A.
• Type: Subsidiary
• Predecessors: Agusta, Westland Helicopters
• Successor: Leonardo Helicopters (division of Leonardo S.p.A.)
• Founded: 2000
• Defunct: 2016 (merged into Leonardo S.p.A.)
• Headquarters: Rome, Italy
• Industry: Aircraft manufacturing
• Products: Helicopters
• Key Executive: Daniele Romiti (Chief Executive Officer)
• Employees: Approximately 12,500 as of December 31, 2015
• Parent Company: Finmeccanica (now Leonardo)
• Subsidiaries: PZL-Świdnik
• Revenue (2012): €4,243 million
• Operating Income (2012): €473 million
• Website: helicopters.leonardo.com

History

The partnership between Agusta and Westland began in 1981 with the creation of the European Helicopter Industries joint venture, aimed at developing the medium-sized utility helicopter known as the EH101.

In March 1999, Finmeccanica and GKN revealed plans to merge their helicopter divisions. By July 2000, the two companies had finalized the merger agreement, establishing equal ownership at 50 percent each, alongside compensation payments to GKN to address profit imbalances between Agusta and Westland.

In January 2002, AgustaWestland announced plans to eliminate 950 jobs in the UK and to close its Weston-super-Mare facility, which focused on customer support, consolidating operations at the main Yeovil site.

On 26 May 2004, GKN declared its agreement to sell its stake in AgustaWestland to Finmeccanica for £1.06 billion. The British government gave its approval for this transaction in October of the same year.

In 2005, AgustaWestland established a presence in Philadelphia and secured a contract to manufacture the new presidential helicopter Marine One, surpassing U.S. manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft; however, this program was ultimately cancelled in 2009. Later that year in November, AgustaWestland agreed to purchase Bell Helicopter’s 25 percent share of the AB139 medium twin helicopter project and increased its stake in the BA609 civil tiltrotor aircraft from 25 percent to 40 percent.

File:Qinetiq AgustaWestland AW105E Power arrives RIAT Fairford 10thJuly2014 arp.jpg

Qinetiq AgustaWestland AW109E Power arriving at the 2014 Royal International Air Tattoo, England

In June 2008, an agreement was reached between AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters to create a joint venture dedicated to assembling AW139 helicopters within Russia.Template:Fix/category The construction of a $50 million assembly plant in Tomilino near Moscow commenced in June 2010.

Early in 2010, AgustaWestland expanded its portfolio by acquiring PZL-Świdnik, a Polish helicopter manufacturer.

In September 2012, AgustaWestland and Northrop Grumman entered into a comprehensive teaming agreement aimed at jointly competing for contracts involving the U.S. Air Force Combat Rescue helicopter and the U.S. Navy’s new Marine One presidential helicopter.

March 2013 saw the unveiling of AgustaWestland’s Project Zero hybrid tiltrotor/fan-in-wing technology demonstrator. This unmanned prototype had conducted its initial tethered flight back in June 2011 at the company’s Cascina Costa facility in Italy. The aircraft is noted for operating without hydraulics, consuming no fossil fuels, and producing zero emissions.

Controversy Surrounding the AgustaWestland AW101 Procurement

In February 2010, India entered into an agreement to acquire 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters intended for the Communication Squadron of the Indian Air Force, designated to transport the President, Prime Minister, and other VVIPs. However, this contract was suspended in February 2013 amid accusations that a bribe amounting to US$60 million had been disbursed. On 12 February 2013, Italian authorities detained Giuseppe Orsi, then CEO of Finmeccanica; the subsequent day, Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony directed an investigation into the deal.

By January 2014, India officially terminated the US$630 million contract and successfully recovered the funds previously paid.

Integration into Leonardo

In 2016, as part of a corporate restructuring, AgustaWestland was consolidated into Leonardo S.p.A., the rebranded identity of Finmeccanica. This reorganisation resulted in AgustaWestland ceasing to operate as an independent entity, becoming instead Leonardo's dedicated helicopter division.

In 2020, Leonardo revived the "Agusta" name specifically for its VIP helicopter segment, unveiling this refreshed brand during Expo 2020 held in Dubai.

Products

Model	Maiden flight	Production status	MTOW	Description
Agusta A129 Mangusta	11 September 1983	ongoing	4.6t	attack helicopter
AgustaWestland Apache	September 1998	ended 2004	9.5t	attack helicopter, licensed from GKN-Westland based on the AH-64 Apache, 67 units produced for the British Army
AgustaWestland AW101/EH101 (Merlin)	9 October 1987	ongoing	14.6t	medium-lift helicopter with three engines
AgustaWestland AW109	4 August 1971	ongoing	2.85t	twin-engine, eight-passenger helicopter
AgustaWestland AW109S Grand	1988	ongoing	3.175t	stretched variant of the AW109
AgustaWestland AW119 Koala	February 1995	ongoing	2.85t	single-engine, eight-seat helicopter derived from the AW109
AgustaWestland AW139	3 February 2001	ongoing	7t	twin-engine helicopter seating fifteen (formerly Bell/Agusta AB139)
AgustaWestland AW149	13 November 2009	ongoing	8.6t	military medium-lift helicopter
AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat	12 November 2009	ongoing	6t	evolved from the Lynx platform
AgustaWestland AW169	10 May 2012	ongoing	4.8t	twin-engine helicopter accommodating ten passengers
AgustaWestland AW189	21 December 2011	ongoing	8.3t	medium-lift, twin-engine helicopter
AgustaWestland AW249	12 August 2022	ongoing	7t	attack helicopter designed to replace the A129
AgustaWestland AW609	6 March 2003	ongoing	7.62t	tiltrotor aircraft (formerly Bell/Agusta BA609)
AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant	31 May 2000	ongoing	14.6t	Canadian air-sea rescue version of the AW101
AgustaWestland Project Zero	June 2011	ongoing	Template:Dunno	demonstrator featuring hybrid tiltrotor and fan-in-wing technology
Bell-Agusta 412	August 1979	ongoing	5.4t	licensed twin-engine helicopter
Boeing MH-139 Grey Wolf	January 2019	ongoing	7t	military rotorcraft developed from the AW139 in partnership with Boeing
Kopter AW09	October 2014	ongoing	2.65t	previously known as SH09
Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel	3 July 2007	discontinued in 2009	14.6t	cancelled VIP variant of the AW101 intended for USMC Marine One, developed with Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter
NHI NH90	18 December 1995	ongoing	10.6t	twin-engine military helicopter produced by NHIndustries (62.5% owned by Eurocopter, 32% by AgustaWestland, and 5.5% by Fokker Aerostructures)
PZL W-3 Sokół	16 November 1979	production ceased in 2015	6.4t	twin-engine helicopter
PZL SW-4	29 October 1996	ongoing	1.8t	single-engine rotorcraft
TAI/AgustaWestland T-129	28 September 2009	ongoing	5t	attack helicopter developed jointly with TAI, based on the A129 platform
Westland Lynx	21 March 1971	ongoing	5.33t	military helicopter
Leonardo Proteus	planned mid-2025	upcoming production status confirmed	2.8-3t	unmanned rotorcraft primarily designed for the Royal Navy

See also

• List of Italian companies

Major competitors in the helicopter manufacturing sector:

• Airbus Helicopters
• Bell Helicopter
• Boeing Rotorcraft Systems
• MD Helicopters
• Russian Helicopters
• Sikorsky Aircraft

External links

• Official website
• Official Agusta site
• AgustaWestland page on helis.com (helicopter history resource)