Leonardo and THC Announce Substantial Helicopter Fleet Expansion Plan in KSA

Leonardo and THC (The Helicopter Company), owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announced yesterday a substantial growth of their collaboration with an order for 20 AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopters and a multi-year Framework Agreement for over 130 aircraft. The announcement was made during an official ceremony held at Heli-Expo 2024 in Anaheim, CA.

The contract for 20 AW139s aims at primarily strengthening the emergency medical service (EMS) and search and rescue (SAR) fleet in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with deliveries expected to be carried out in 2025 and 2026. The Framework Agreement for over 130 aircraft includes a mix of AW109s, AW169s, AW139s and AW189Ks for various applications, with a first batch of orders foreseen by the first half of this year and delivery positions to THC over five to seven years.

The intention to procure these latest 20 AW139s was announced at Heli-Expo 2023. By the time all these latest firmly ordered AW139s are delivered, THC will have a total fleet of approximately 50 AW139s carrying out a range of missions including EMS, SAR and corporate transport in the country, making THC one of the largest AW139 operators globally.  

“We’re proud of this THC’s massive helicopter fleet expansion plan leveraging our technology,” said Gian Piero Cutillo, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters. “Our state-of-the-art platforms will support their service capability growth program with key life-saving and transport missions for the communities they serve.”

The AW139, the world’s most important helicopter program since its certification in 2004 and the bestselling type in its category, has logged orders for more than 1400 units from over 290 customers in over 90 countries to date. The fleet of over 1200 units in service has now exceeded 4 million flight hours. The type has proven extremely successful in the Middle East with almost 200 units sold across the region for the widest scope of missions including corporate transport, emergency medical service, search and rescue, law enforcement, offshore transport, government duties. The AW139 delivers outstanding capabilities, technology and safety to meet stringent requirements from operators for tasks in harsh conditions to maximize effectiveness.

The type features state-of-the-art avionics with advanced navigation and collision avoidance systems to enhance situational awareness and reduce pilots’ workload, unmatched speed, power margins, and overall performance. In addition, this type includes the widest cabin in its category featuring high modularity for rapid reconfiguration, a unique 60+ min run-dry capable main gear box for enhanced reliability and safety and up to 1000 certified kits.

The addition of the AW169 and AW189K to the THC’s fleet in the future will allow the operator to benefit from the unique advantages of the AW Family concept based on shared design, components, support and training approach with unprecedented fleet management efficiency and versatility.