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AgustaWestland AW149

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The AgustaWestland AW149 is a medium-lift, versatile military helicopter created by AgustaWestland, now known as Leonardo. The program commenced in 2006, with the aircraft’s maiden flight occurring in 2009. It achieved military flight certification by 2014 and subsequently entered production, entering service with the armed forces of Egypt and Thailand. Poland is also set to acquire the type, with a new manufacturing facility established at PZL-Swidnik in 2024, while North Macedonia has placed an order awaiting fulfillment.

Design and development

Conceived as a completely new military rotorcraft, the AW149 was introduced at the 2006 Farnborough Air Show. It features a larger airframe and enhanced engine power when compared to the AW139, resulting in increased cargo space and payload capacity. The prototype performed its inaugural flight on 13 November 2009 from AgustaWestland’s production site in Vergiate, northern Italy. The second prototype, equipped with production-standard engines, took off for the first time on 26 February 2011 from the same location.

On 20 June 2011, AgustaWestland revealed the AW189, a civilian variant derived from the AW149 series, with entry into service planned for 2013.

Operational history

File:AW149 - Swidnik 37.JPG
AW149 during a demonstration flight in 2012

Finmeccanica announced that the AW149 had secured military certification at the Farnborough Airshow in 2014. Its landing gear is engineered to endure landings with a sink rate of up to 9.5 m/s, significantly higher than the typical 2 m/s rating for civilian helicopters. Marketed as an alternative to the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk series, Thailand became the first export customer by ordering five units. Although evaluated by the Italian Air Force for search and rescue roles, they ultimately selected the lighter AW139M instead.

In April 2019, the Egyptian Navy placed an order for 24 AW149 helicopters with an option for an additional ten; deliveries began by late 2020.

AgustaWestland proposed a tailored version named TUHP149 for Turkey's Utility Helicopter Program (TUHP), which aimed to acquire an initial batch of 109 helicopters valued at $4 billion, potentially expanding to around 300 units over time. However, on 21 April 2011, Turkey’s defense minister announced that the contract was awarded to the Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk.

Leonardo has put forward the AW149 for the United Kingdom’s New Medium Helicopter initiative intended to replace the RAF’s fleet of Puma helicopters. Should this bid succeed, manufacturing would take place at Leonardo’s facility in Yeovil. After competitors Airbus and Sikorsky withdrew from the contest, Leonardo remains as the sole official contender.

In June 2022, Poland’s defense minister confirmed plans to procure 32 AW149 helicopters, with assembly slated at Leonardo’s PZL Świdnik plant. The contract was formalized on 1 July 2022 valued at $1.85 billion (€1.76 billion), with deliveries scheduled between 2023 and 2029. The Polish production line for AW149 was inaugurated in 2024, and by February 2025, the first locally assembled helicopter rolled off the line in Świdnik.

Operators

File:Salon du Bourget 20090619 224.jpg
Armed variant showcased at the 2009 Paris Air Show, featuring two distinct types of rocket pods
File:Agusta-Westland AW149 I-RAII (11820382365).jpg
AW149 exhibited during the 2013 Radom Airbase Air Show
File:AW149 I-RAIC MSPO2012.jpg
Displayed at MSPO 2012
File:AW149 - RIAT 2015 (21519991710).jpg
AW149 at RIAT 2015
File:MIAS 260915 AW149 03.jpg
AW149 presented at the 2015 Malta International Airshow

Active operators

File:Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand
Royal Thai Police[1] (one unit currently operational)

Active operators

File:Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt
Egyptian Navy[2][3][4][5] (24 units ordered in 2019 with an option for an additional 10; five delivered in both 2020 and 2021)
File:Flag of Poland.svg Poland
Polish Army[6] (32 units ordered in 2022; deliveries scheduled between 2023 and 2029, with three delivered in 2023, five in 2024, and three in 2025)
File:Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand
Royal Thai Army[1] (five units currently in service)

Prospective operators

Template:Country data North Macedonia
Army of North Macedonia (four AW149 helicopters on order)[7]

Potential future users

Template:Country data Malaysia
In 2024, Leonardo proposed the AW149 as a replacement for the Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri within the Royal Malaysian Air Force.[8] The Malaysian defense forces currently operate the civilian version, the AgustaWestland AW189.
Planned acquisitions are divided into two stages:[9]
  • Stage one - twelve utility helicopters equipped for Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR)
  • Stage two - twelve standard utility helicopters
File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Under the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) initiative, the Royal Air Force seeks replacements for its fleet comprising twenty-three Westland Puma HC2, three Bell 412 Griffin, while the British Army aims to substitute three Bell 212 and six Airbus AS365 Dauphin helicopters.[10][11]
Initial contenders included Airbus Helicopters with the H175M, Sikorsky Aircraft offering the S-70 Black Hawk, and Leonardo (company) presenting the AW149.
By August 2024, both Airbus and Sikorsky withdrew from the bidding process, leaving Leonardo's AW149 as the only remaining candidate.[12] The future of this procurement remains uncertain pending decisions by the new UK government.[13]

Specifications (AW149)

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See also

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References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named World Air Forces 2018
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named La Tribune
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Flight Global
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named janescom.sitefinity.cloud
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :0
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named defenceplcontract
  7. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Jennings
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Losey
  12. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

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External links

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