Qatar Adds 18 AW139 Utility Helicopters

Civil AW139
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Fresh from its purchase of 2 C-17 strategic airlifters, Qatar’s Emiri Air Force has signed a EUR 260 million (currently about $400 million) contract with AgustaWestland for 18 AW139 medium twin helicopters (formerly the AB139, until the Bell partnership dissolved in 2005). The helicopters will be used for utility tasks, troop transport, search and rescue, border patrol, special forces operations, law enforcement and homeland security. AW release

The Qatar Emiri Air Force currently flies old Westland Commando helicopters in heavier utility and maritime roles, and SA341 Gazelles in light helicopter and attack roles; the AW139 will fit somewhere in the middle…

With over 370 AW139s ordered to date, the helicopter has been a commercial success in roles ranging from VIP transport, to oil industry service, to law enforcement. At the same time, previous military orders have been limited to Ireland (4+2 options) and the Estonian Border Guard, plus 4 governments who use it in a search and rescue capacity (Japan, Oman, Spain, UAE). The AW139’s positioning between the full utility and light helicopter segments is its source of commercial advantage, and appears to fit Qatar’s set of needs very well, but may be a detriment to military sales. The AW139’s 8-15 troop capacity made it the largest and most powerful contender in the USA’s $3+ billion Light Utility Helicopter competition, for instance, but it lost to Eurocopter’s smaller EC145.

Updates

Nov 24/09: AgustaWestland announces delivery of the first AW139 to Qatar, during an official ceremony held today at AgustaWestland’s Vergiate plant in Italy. The Qatar Armed Forces becomes the 3rd operator of military-configured AW139 helicopters following the Irish Air Corps and UAE Armed Forces.