Swedish Maritime Administration orders seven AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters for search and rescue

AMSTERDAM, 25 Nov. 2012.Helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland in Amsterdam sold seven AW139 intermediate twin helicopters to the Swedish Maritime Administration for search-and-rescue (SAR) operations.

The first helicopter is scheduled for delivery next spring, and the final one will be delivered in 2014. The Swedish Maritime Administration in Norrköping, Sweden, is the authority responsible for maritime and aeronautical search-and-rescue services in Sweden and will operate the AW139 helicopters from five bases across the country.

The Swedish Maritime Administration’s AW139s will also be equipped with full ice protection system (FIPS) allowing flights into known icing conditions and enabling all weather operations.

The AW139 is a long-range and all-weather helicopter, which also is used in Northern Europe for passenger transportation to offshore oil and gas installations.

The AW139 has a maximum cruise speed of 165 knots, a range of more than 500 nautical miles, and delivers Category A (Class 1) performance from a helipad (elevated or at ground level) at maximum take-off weight which also makes it a safe helicopter while performing demanding SAR missions.

For more information contact AgustaWestland online at www.agustawestland.com.