China’s Xiangjiang General Aviation Development Company pioneers public HEMS and aerial fire-fighting missions with AW139 and AW109 Trekker helicopter orders
The AW139 helicopter is scheduled for delivery in Q1 2023 and the AW109Trekker in Q4 2023
Over 40 AW139 and 13 AW109 Trekker helicopters have been delivered to various Chinese operators; with more than 200 Leonardo civil helicopters sold in China to date
Rome, 25/07/2022 – China’s Xiangjiang General Aviation Development Company (“Xiangjiang GA”) has signed a contract for one AW139 medium twin-engine helicopter and one AW109 Trekker light twin helicopter.
The helicopters will be utilised by various municipal branches in the Hunan province, performing public HEMS, fire-fighting and public security missions. The project represents a brand new public-sponsored approach in the establishment of a nationwide HEMS and aerial fire-fighting network in China.
Hunan, with a population of 66 million and a GDP of US$ 700 billion, is the first province in China to reform its low-altitude airspace and pioneer a public HEMS service through the establishment of Xiangjiang GA. With the fleet combination of the AW139 intermediate and AW109 Trekker light twin both to be delivered within 2023, Xiangjiang GA will be able to perform a wide range of public services missions, with a future fleet and capability growth in mind.
This order confirms Leonardo as the global leading player in the medium and light twin category and strengthens the company’s position in the Asia-Pacific region. The new AW139 and AW109Trekker will continue to expand the number of Leonardo helicopters in China. Leonardo has already delivered more than 40 AW139 and 13 AW109 Trekker helicopters to serve various Chinese operators, confirming itself as the leader in the OGP, EMS, VIP and law enforcement market in China.
The AW139 has logged orders of over 1,250 units from more than 290 operators in over 80 countries to date for all missions. Therefore, this confirms the AW139 as the world’s most important helicopter programme since its certification in 2004 and the bestselling type in its category. With the latest product enhancement on the AW109Trekker Avionics system, the 4-axis auto-pilot will be applied on Xiangjiang GA AW109Trekker to further increase product safety and manoeuvrability.
More than 200 Leonardo civil helicopters of various types have been sold to Chinese operators to date for a range of both commercial and public services.
Leonardo, a global high-technology company, is among the top world players in Aerospace, Defense and Security and is Italy’s main industrial company. Organized into five business divisions, Leonardo has a significant industrial presence in Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland and the USA, where it also operates through subsidiaries that include Leonardo DRS (defence electronics), and joint ventures and partnerships: ATR, MBDA, Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space and Avio. Leonardo competes in the most important international markets by leveraging its areas of technology and product leadership (Helicopters, Aircraft, Aerostructures, Electronics, Cyber & Security Solutions and Space).
Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2021 Leonardo recorded consolidated revenues of €14.1 billion and invested €1.8 billion in Research and Development. The company has been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) since 2010 and has been confirmed among the global sustainability leaders in 2021. Leonardo is also included in the MIB ESG index.
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