AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that Grupo INAER of Spain has committed to purchase eighteen helicopters including six AW119 Ke single-engines, two AW109 Power and seven Grand light twins and three AW139 medium twins in 2008. These helicopters will be delivered by 2010. Grupo INAER is one of the leading Spanish Companies providing a wide range of helicopter services including scheduled passenger transport flights, search and rescue, EMS and fire-fighting applications operating in Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. The AW119 Ke will be used for firefighting missions while the AW109 Power, the Grand and the AW139 will be configured to perform EMS operations. Moreover the AW139 will be used for search and rescue and scheduled services roles.
Grupo INAER confirms its reliance on AgustaWestland’s helicopters as it already operates the AW109 Power and previously ordered Grand and AW139 twin-engine helicopters. This commitment marks the entrance of the AW119 Ke single engine in the Grupo INAER’s fleet as well. AgustaWestland is committed to further expand its commercial presence in the Spanish market where various helicopter types have achieved excellent results used by several leading customers for a number of applications including passenger transport, search and rescue, EMS and firefighting. AgustaWestland will also further expand its presence in Portugal, Italy and France. The AW119 Ke is AgustaWestland’s answer to worldwide current customer demand for a high performance, modern, multi-role single-engine helicopter. When configured for firefighting missions, the AW119 Ke can be equipped with various firefighting equipment and systems. The enhanced altitude performance and a wider temperature operating range of AW119 Ke provide unequalled firefighting operational capabilities.
As the best selling light twin helicopter setting new standard in its category, the AW109 Power can be perfectly suited for EMS purposes offering excellent performance, reliability, capacity and productivity. A new intermediate size helicopter with light twin economics developed to meet a variety of market requirements, the Grand provides levels of cabin space and payload that until now could only be met by larger, more expensive helicopters. With its large cabin, the wide sliding door and high payload, the Grand set a new standard in the EMS/air ambulance market with unrivalled characteristics of functional effectiveness compared to any other light helicopter.
The EMS version of the Grand is based on a modular principle with fixed provisions and various detachable components. The AW139 is a new generation medium twin helicopter setting new standards against which all new medium twins are measured. The internal dimensions of the large and unobstructed AW139 cabin make it an ideal choice for EMS, search and rescue and scheduled services applications. The flat floor and ceiling provide maximum cabin flexibility for easy reconfiguration. Litter layout ranges from two to six in medevac configuration. In addition to dimensions, high speed, outstanding performance in hot&high conditions and Cat. “A” capabilities prove major effectiveness factors for all the tasks.
