Leonardo and helicopter leasing company GDHF have signed a deal to introduce 10 more AW189s in the energy support market with deliveries expected in the 2027-2029 period.
Michael York, GDHF CEO, said “GDHF is very pleased to sign the Framework Agreement with Leonardo for ten additional factory new AW189s. GDHF has now committed to a total of 13 AW189s, and earlier this year we successfully introduced the first of these AW189s into our fleet. This large 10 x AW189 Framework Agreement will further enhance GDHF’s ability to support our customers globally and provide them additional highly effective AW189 super-medium helicopters on lease. We thank Leonardo for their strong partnership as we work together to provide comprehensive multi-mission AW189 solutions for our customers.”
The energy support market is expected to steadily increase over the next five years, driven by new field developments (including wind farm support and offshore SAR assisting the energy sector), in compliance with new environmental regulations and adoption of more advanced technologies. With nearly 500 helicopters of various types in service today to perform offshore transport, Leonardo is the market leader for energy support. Offshore operations require high aircraft availability rates with many flight hours logged by the helicopters used for this task. Leveraging data gathering and analysis from the demanding offshore market and its intensive operations enables Leonardo to further enhance the overall service quality, product and training capabilities of various models across all other applications. Intermediate and super medium twin weight categories – like the Leonardo AW139 and AW189 respectively – are expected to gradually lead this market for long range operations outperforming ageing heavier and bigger types.
Belonging to the AW Family of products, the AW189 (8.3/8.6 tonne) combines superior payload and range with advanced technologies to successfully operate a wide range of missions such as search and rescue, energy industry support, passenger transport, firefighting, and law enforcement. Unique features of the helicopter include the capability of the main transmission to run without oil for 50 minutes and a built-in auxiliary power unit. The AW189 is available with more than 200 certified kits and is also the only aircraft in its class featuring a Full Ice Protection System (or, alternatively, a Limited Ice Protection System) certified for use in Europe, US and Canada. The type is delivered with a comprehensive support and training service package tailored to meet specific customer requirements to maximise mission effectiveness and safety of operations. The type is also certified for an automatic data transmission system enabling the aircraft to transmit flight data to a ground station using satellite communication in flight, 4G cell connectivity or Wi-Fi when on the ground. It offers a secure way to share an accurate picture of each flight so that Leonardo experts can assess data quickly, thus optimizing maintenance and support.
Over 90 AW189s have been delivered to operators worldwide to date. Around 50 of these are used for offshore transport today and have surpassed 155,000 flight hours in operations in this market. After 10 years since its certification, the AW189 remains the world’s leader in the super-medium helicopter class by market size, number of operators, countries, and applications including offshore transport, search and rescue, firefighting/disaster relief, law enforcement and passenger transport. The AW189 is growing its presence in existing customers’ fleets as well as being selected by all new operators, particularly in the energy and public service markets.
Bristow and Leonardo finalise support training deal
Bristow Group and Leonardo announced they have finalised a series of long-term agreements that will enhance global fleet support and training for the AW139 and AW189 helicopters, extending into the next decade. These agreements reinforce the strong relationship between the two companies and provides continued support for operations in key markets. The finalised package includes the following support highlights applicable to Bristow’s global fleet:
- Enhanced Power-by-the-Hour (PBH) agreements for search and rescue (SAR) operations and offshore energy services (OES) helicopters, providing tailored maintenance and operational efficiency.
- A long-term AW189 simulator training agreement in Aberdeen, Scotland, supporting critical pilot training needs.
- The introduction of an AW139 full flight simulator in Aberdeen beginning in 2026, alongside the existing AW189 simulator, complementing an already robust training center to support fleet operations in the North Sea.
- An enhanced global fleet support agreement, covering key performance indicators (KPIs), inventory management, training, Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS), and other Leonardo-provided services.
Bristow will introduce four new AW189 helicopters into its OES business, scheduled to enter service in 2025 and 2026. The four new AW189 helicopters are part of a previously announced order earlier this year and are expected to provide added flexibility to Bristow’s fleet planning as well as diversification across Bristow’s fleet mix.
Leonardo, Intermountain Health announce new deals
Leonardo and Intermountain Health, Utah’s largest healthcare system and a pioneer in innovative healthcare solutions, announced two significant milestones, Intermountain’ s lease of the first AW109 GrandNew Enhanced Training Device Virtual Extended Reality (ETD VxR) to a customer and the acquisition of an AW109 GrandNew twin-engine helicopter. The lease of the AW109 GrandNew VxR Simulator signifies a crucial step toward transforming Intermountain Health’s EMS helicopter flight training and safety protocols. Also, this milestone highlights the first VxR to be signed by a Leonardo longstanding customer. This cutting-edge synthetic training device provides dynamic, immersive training scenarios that replicating real-life emergencies, empowering EMS professionals to sharpen their skills in a safe, controlled environment. This enhancement in training will boost their readiness, response times, and safety in critical situations, instilling confidence in their quality of care.
“We are a big believer in the value of simulator use in training. Intermountain Health is heavily invested in our low-level IFR structure for helicopters,” said Jared Thompson, Senior Director of Aviation Operations for Intermountain. “This simulator will allow our pilots constant exposure to the demanding IFR environment, while reducing blade time and associated costs of using an actual aircraft. We are extremely excited about pioneering the amazing technology of the VxR simulator.”
The ETD VxR benefits from Leonardo’s unique capabilities in designing and developing simulators and mission support solutions to best meet the needs of operators. The ETD VxR technology has been designed and built with native helicopter data for the highest level of fidelity, leveraging superior design and certification capabilities and genuine flight tests to allows the future virtual and extended reality simulators and comply with FTD lev. 7 FAA requirements. The ETD VxR features a compact footprint to support single-engine (VFR and IFR) and light-twin-engine helicopters, ensuring accurate pilot’s perception of the surroundings for single-pilot flight operations, improving training effectiveness and safety, and allowing the crew to train on the same mission through interconnected simulators at a cost-effective price point.
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