There when it matters
Commercial Helicopters
Leonardo tops helicopter manufacturers product support survey for 6th successive year
Leonardo tops helicopter manufacturers product support survey for 6th successive year
In 2024, Leonardo topped the Pro Pilot Helicopter Product Support Survey for the sixth year in a row, following feedback from the industry.
- Executive and Private Transport
- Medical and Rescue Services
- Security Services
- Energy Services
- Utility Helicopters
Executive and Private Transport
In the UK, Leonardo provides more than 50% of the twin-engine helicopters in the executive transport sector. Our modern portfolio of helicopters is ideally suited for Heads of State and VVIP clients, thanks to their spacious, quiet and bright air-conditioned cabins. Additionally, our state-of-the-art helicopters offer passengers safe and comfortable flights in an elegant environment featuring a large baggage compartment and luxurious, bespoke interiors.
Medical and Rescue Services
Every day around the UK, Leonardo helicopters are helping to save lives. Our AW189 helicopters – operated by Bristow on behalf of HM Coastguard – represent around half of all search and rescue services across the UK, as well as being the only search and rescue platform in the harsh environment of The Falklands. Furthermore, our AW169s amount to around 30% of the UK’s air ambulance fleet in service through leading EMS-service operator Specialist Aviation Services across the southern and central England regions. Meanwhile, our AW109 family of helicopters is delivering a resilient emergency medical response service across Ireland and central England.
Security Services
Leonardo helicopters are designed to meet a wide range of law enforcement and security operations. Featuring the largest cabins their class, helicopters including our AW139 and AW169 offer the safety, performance, space and flexibility to rapidly deploy teams to support missions as varied as Surveillance, Aerial Support, Drug Enforcement, Border Patrol, Medical and Casualty Evacuation, Disaster Relief, Search and Rescue (SAR) and Utility.
Energy Services
Ideally suited to demanding offshore missions, thanks to their proven reliability and full compliance with the stringent offshore regulations, Leonardo's helicopters are currently supporting oil, gas and renewable energy operations around the coast of the UK. In this sector, Leonardo is setting the highest benchmark in offshore safety, including unrivalled transmission run dry capabilities that exceed all certification requirements. With rapidly configurable cabins suitable for a variety of crew change and utility missions, these helicopters, including the AW169, AW139 and AW189, carry large numbers of passengers in safety and comfort, ensuring operational capability in the most challenging environments.
Utility Helicopters
Whether inspecting remote pipelines, fighting large-scale fires or lugging the heaviest of loads, Leonardo helicopters provide rugged and reliable solutions for a wide range of missions. With the highest safety standards, combined with easily configurable cabins and state-of-the-art glass cockpits, our helicopters support operations that require best-in-class lifting capability, alongside superior range and performance.
Regional Partners
Regional Partners
Leonardo’s commercial helicopters are supported across the UK and Ireland by a network of Service Centre partners, including Castle Air, Sloane Helicopters and Specialist Aviation Services who together ensure that our customers may exploit the full operational capability of our products. Furthermore, Sloane Helicopters is our regional distributor for the AW109 and AW169 helicopters across the Executive and Private Transport sector.
Insights
Former Leonardo employee, Hannah Nobbs, shares her journey on becoming a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) First Officer at Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
Leonardo UK will continue to support rescue operations over the UK for years to come, following award of the Second-Generation Search and Rescue Aviation contract by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency to Bristow, who will work in partnership with 2Excel Aviation.
In a modern and effective system of urgent response and medical emergency, helicopter intervention allows the doctor to reach the patient with all the necessary equipment, before the situation deteriorates irreversibly.
Helicopters proved to be important assets during the Coronavirus emergency, with them being the most versatile aircraft for the safe transport of Covid-19 patients and medical staff. Leonardo’s AW139, AW169 and AW101 helicopters were at the forefront of this activity, being deployed around the world.
The Children’s Air Ambulance, which has two Leonardo AW169 helicopters, is a national charity that flies critically ill babies and children from local hospitals to specialist neonatal or paediatric centres throughout the UK. We spoke to Peter Whatmore who chairs the charity,
The AW169 EMS (Emergency Medical Services) is rapidly reconfigurable and uniquely designed around patient needs, ensuring that air medical professionals can be there when it counts, providing the best care.
Norway’s advanced AW101 All-Weather Search and Rescue Helicopter (NAWSARH) – known as SAR Queen – is already providing significant operational impact and proving to be a critical asset for rescuing people across Norway.
We explore how Leonardo is delivering an integrated customer support and training package for the advanced AW101 platform – ensuring crews and platforms are fully ready to deliver state-of-the-art search and rescue for the people of Norway.
Single [R]evolution
The versatile light single-engine helicopter
Mission versatility is essential for modern helicopter operations. The AW09 is a next-generation, high capability, single-engine helicopter offering the built-in versatility to tackle multiple missions. Capable of carrying up to eight passengers, the AW09 delivers next-generation technology and safety allowing operators to go further and do more.
Multi-mission solution
The AW09 is optimised for numerous roles, including passenger transport, utility, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and security missions. Its combination of capabilities such as speed, range and endurance, as well as low noise profile makes it a flexible and efficient solution for today’s rotary wing market.
Versatile cabin
The spacious, versatile and quiet cabin features a flat floor and high ceiling to maximise the available space, as well as individual crashworthy seats. The interior can be reconfigured quickly and easily for multi-mission operations and there are sliding and clamshell doors for easy access.
Next-generation versatility
The AW169 meets the growing demand for a next-generation helicopter in the light-intermediate category that combines best-in-class performances with superior range and safety. The versatile AW169 brings unrivalled operating capabilities in the most challenging conditions. It also features a unique-in-class Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) mode that ensures mission-readiness with rotors stopped and enhanced ground safety.
Fast and Flexible
The AW119Kx is the first light single-engine helicopter to meet all IFR standards and offers modern avionics suite and a spacious interior to enable flexibility in role. Operators worldwide benefit from the highest productivity levels among single-engine helicopters, combined with the safety provided by redundancy of main systems, as well as payload and performance at the top of its category.
Tilt your Perspective
The AW609 is a revolution in point-to-point aerial transportation, combining the speed, range, and comfort of a fixed-wing airplane with the convenience and flexibility of a helicopter. The AW609 TiltRotor is ideally suited to a wide range of missions including VIP and Executive Transport, Parapublic, Medical and Rescue Services and Energy Services, delivering an unprecedented level of performance.
Flying at almost twice the speed of a conventional helicopter, the AW609 features a comfortable pressurised cabin designed for cruising efficiently at 25,000 ft. Digital VFR/IFR avionics feature triple-redundant fly‑by‑wire controls to reduce pilot workload and maximise situational awareness.
The AW609 is designed for flight into known icing conditions and meets the highest FAA requirements for both fixed-wing airplanes and helicopters including single-engine operation and autorotation.
The AW101 embodies advanced design and technology coupled with long range and endurance, which provides operational persistence for all missions. The versatility of the AW101 platform and a full range of on-board equipment allow operators to configure the helicopter for a wide range of roles including Maritime, Battlefield/Personnel Recovery and SAR.
Latest generation capabilities
The AW189 is the superior multi-mission solution for today’s demanding operations, combining exceptional payload and range with advanced technologies. Belonging to the AWFamily, the AW189’s unique features include a main transmission with 50-minute run dry capability and a built-in Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) as well as the option of new Safran Aneto-1K engines to enhance hot and high performance.
Simply No Rivals
Modern helicopter operations require a combination of flexibility, high performance, proven technologies, and exceptional safety features. The multi-mission AW139 brings an unrivalled pedigree, as the best-selling twin-engine helicopter in its class with more than 1,000 units in service with customers worldwide.
Boasting superior performance, advanced safety design features, and state-of-the-art avionics, the AW139 can carry up to 15 passengers in a spacious cabin, all with the best power reserve of any helicopter in its class.
The AW139 is part of the AWFamily of advanced rotorcraft. This shared DNA enables customers to benefit from the common design philosophy, safety features and high-performance flight characteristics that are the hallmarks of the AW169, AW139 and AW189 family.
Rugged and reliable
With best-in-class lifting capability, superior range and outstanding performance, the multi-role AW109 Trekker enables operators to tackle even the most demanding missions. The twin-engine AW109 Trekker is a flexible, rugged and reliable aircraft that offers a high payload and a spacious cabin that can be reconfigured quickly, making it ideally suited to a wide range of applications.
See further. Go anywhere.
The AW109 GrandNew responds to the market demand for a helicopter that blends performance, speed, payload and operational flexibility, together with lower environmental impact. Capable of operating in the most severe conditions, it is a top-of-the-range light twin-engine multi-role helicopter, offering the highest safety through advanced navigation and situational awareness technology.
Helicopter operators face constant demands to increase efficiency and cut costs. To meet this challenge, Leonardo has introduced the AWFamily of advanced helicopters: the AW169, AW139 and AW189. Each boasts high performance flight characteristics and safety features, as well as a common cockpit layout and design philosophy. The result is real cost savings in training, maintenance and support.