Leonardo Helicopters has confirmed it is evaluating an “evolution” of its best-selling AW139 intermediate-twin but is not yet ready to officially launch the long-speculated MkII upgrade programme.
Briefing journalists at the airframer’s Cascina Costa headquarters in northern Italy on 27 February, Leonardo Helicopters managing director Gian Piero Cutillo said it was “thinking about what kind of evolution the AW139 can have”.
Two AW139 MkII prototypes are known to be flying, although the company remains coy on any details, and describes the upgrade programme as a “secret that everyone knows”.
“We are thinking, we will see what we can do in terms of evolution and development of the AW139 and… we are doing something in that direction,” says Cutillo.
“We are developing something – we all know that – but we are not ready to disclose this. But we are proceeding and I think it’s correct to do so and see what we can do.”
Any MkII variant is likely to incorporate, at minimum, an updated avionics suite, with new engines also thought to be on the menu.
Current AW139s are powered by twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turboshafts, but the engine maker is known to be developing a new powerplant it refers to as the PW220A.
No information on the PW220A’s power class has been disclosed, although in US regulatory filings the company says it will “ensure continued sales of one of the best-selling helicopters in its category”.
Cutillo does not believe the AW139 requires more power, but says operators are seeking better “[fuel] efficiency” from their helicopters.
Aerodynamic improvements rather than wholesale changes to the fuselage are also likely, he adds.
For several years, the AW139 was alone in its category, having seen off rival products from Sikorsky and Airbus Helicopters.
But with the latter’s 6t-class H160 now gaining traction in the market, there is a suggestion that Leonardo Helicopters has been forced into a competitive response.
Cutillo, however, says he feels no “urgency” to launch the MkII, instead being guided by technology readiness and market analysis: “We have to make sure we are doing the right thing at the right time.”
Airbus Helicopters claimed last year that the H160 – an aircraft it has sometimes called the “AW139 killer” – achieved civil and parapublic sales parity with the AW139.
Cutillo, though, remains unruffled: “We believe the AW139 is alive – I don’t think there’s even a small injury.”
