Leonardo agrees deal for three emergency response AW139s with Greek govnt
The three new AW139s scheduled for delivery in 2026.
Leonardo Helicopters has agreed a deal for three emergency response configured AW139 helicopters with the Greek Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. This is the department responsible for healthcare missions, disaster relief operations and the transport of crisis management teams
The new aircraft are expected to be delivered in 2026 with two units dedicated to healthcare missions and disaster relief and one unit to flying crisis management teams. The order also includes a technical, logistical support, and training package. The AW139s will be operated by the Fire Brigade on behalf of the ministry from a base in Attica near Athens.
“The selection of the AW139 is further to a thorough and rigorous tendering process, carried out by the Project Preparation Facility of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), demonstrating the best value-for-money offer thanks to the combination of performance, mission capabilities, modern design and versatility,” according to the manufacturer.
This emergency response helicopter programme was paid for by the EU under its NextGenerationEU programme, which is part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Greece 2.0 project. The programme will enable Greece to improve its disaster relief operations across the country, which offers significant operational challenges. `
The selection of the Leonardo’s AW139 was said to confirm the Greek government’s confidence in Leonardo’s rotorcraft technology and capabilities in the broader rescue tasks domain. Two AW109 Trekker light twins are already in service supporting the national healthcare service.
The new AW139s will feature a flexible and modular cabin layout able to carry up to five passengers and two stretchers. Easy and quick cabin conversion enables the helicopter to carry up to 14 passengers for the deployment of the incident management teams.
With more than 1,400 AW139s on order and over 1,200 units in service, the fleet has logged over over 4m flight hours. The AW139 is deployed on a range of missions including: emergency medical services (EMS), search and rescue (SAR), combat SAR (CSAR), law enforcement, firefighting, disaster relief, energy support and corporate/VIP flights.
The interior of an AW139 cabin configured for ems flights.
