Italy’s Carabinieri—thepolice branch of the military—has signed a deal with Leonardo Helicopters to acquire 20 AW119Kxs between 2023 and 2026. The single-engine helicopters will be assembled at Leonardo’s Vergiate facility near Milan.
These helicopters are part of its Air Services fleet modernization program and will be used for a variety of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, environmental monitoring and protection, disaster relief, and firefighting missions from 18 bases across the country. They will be equipped with a Garmin G1000H cockpit featuring wide color screens, synthetic vision, helicopter terrain awareness warning systems, and satellite navigation/moving maps.
Additional features will include HD cameras and electro-optical systems, cargo hook, mission console with datalink, hyperspectral system for environment monitoring, wire cutter, searchlight, and a Bambi Bucket. Provisions for a floating system and life raft and snow kit are also included.
“The introduction of the AW119Kx in the Carabinieri Air Service’s fleet ideally integrates the capabilities the operator already has chosen thanks to the AW139s and AW169s. The helicopters respond to the wide spectrum of the Air Service’s requirements,” said Leonardo Helicopters managing director Gian Piero Cutillo.
The AW119Kx’s primary assembly line is in Philadelphia. The helicopter can be equipped with both VFR and IFR avionics packages and features a cabin with seating for up to six passengers. More than 490 AW119s have been sold to date.