Leonardo will build a comprehensive customer support center for its TH-119 military turbine single in Northwest Florida if it is selected for the U.S. Navy’s TH-73 helicopter training program, the company said this week. The new center would be adjacent to Naval Air Station Whiting Field. Leonardo is offering the Navy the IFR-certified TH-119 as a replacement for the service’s aging fleet of Bell TH-57s. The Navy is expected to make a selection on a new training helicopter next year. Other competitors include a variant of the Bell 407 and the Airbus Helicopters H135.
Leonardo’s proposed 100,000-sq-ft facility would support the estimated 130 helicopters the Navy requires and be built in partnership with the Santa Rosa County Economic Development Office as well as Space Florida in the 269-acre Whiting Aviation Park adjacent to the air station where all helicopter pilots for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard currently are trained. Envisioned as a full-service Part 145 repair station, the new facility would offer 24/7 service including spare parts, warranty processing and renewal, technical and product engineering and component and airframe repair. Through a limited-access use agreement between Santa Rosa County and the U.S. Navy, tenants of Whiting Aviation Park will be able to use the Navy’s airfield facilities for aircraft transfers, which will reduce service time.
“Leonardo continuously makes investments that bring the company closer to its customers. We hope to soon invest in Santa Rosa County,” said William Hunt, Leonardo Helicopters Philadelphia.