Today afternoon, 27th of July 2023, the first AW149 for Polish Armed Forces was seen completing ILS procedure on Venegono airfield, callsign was “Prova21”.
Leonardo sells 32 AW149 helicopters to Polish Armed Forces, the contract was signed between the Polish Ministry of Defense and the firm PZL-Świdnik (owned by Leonardo) for the supply of 32 AW149 multirole helicopters was announced on 1st of July 2022 and is valued at €1.76 billion.
PZL-Świdnik, the Polish company fully owned by Leonardo, will act as prime contractor and will host a local production line with deliveries in the 2023-2029 period.
Profumo: “This contract provides evidence of our commitment to the continued development of the helicopter capabilities and supply chain to the benefit of the strategic Polish helicopter industry. We’re proud to contribute, through modern defence technology, to the increase of the security of Poland.”
The state-of-the-art AW149 helicopters will be able to carry out missions including troop transport and air support; the contract also includes logistics, training and simulator packages.
PZL-Świdnik, the Polish company fully owned by Leonardo, has been awarded a contract by the Polish Ministry of Defence (MoD) worth 8.25 billion PLN gross (approximately EUR 1.76 billion) for the supply of 32 AW149 multirole helicopters. The contract was announced today during an official ceremony held at PZL-Świdnik’s facility today, in the presence of representatives of the Polish Government.
In addition, the contract includes logistics, training and simulator packages. The logistics package includes a stock of spares and consumable parts, as well as equipment for the ground handling of the helicopters. The training and simulator package includes comprehensive training of pilots and technical personnel and the delivery of a set of advanced simulators and training equipment. The new AW149 for Polish Armed Forces will carry out missions including troop transport and air support.
The equipment of the helicopters will also allow them to be used for casualty evacuation, search and rescue in combat operations and for the transport of goods and supplies. The helicopters’ configuration, fully meeting the requirements of the Polish Armed Forces, will also include, among others, observation systems, small arms, guided/unguided rockets and missiles and self-defence systems. The armament, depending on the helicopter variant and configuration, can be installed in the cabin or on the helicopter’s external hard points. The deliveries of AW149 for Polish Armed Forces will be made in the 2023-2029 period.
Acting as the prime contractor, PZL-Świdnik will host a local production line for these AW149 for Polish Armed Forces. Leonardo will therefore undertake further investments in its Polish facility in addition to approximately 1 billion EUR already invested since 2010, which has significantly strengthened the competitiveness and the industrial capabilities of PZL-Świdnik. This provides an important contribution to the Polish aerospace and defence industry, which will enable domestic production, the establishment of a logistic base and thorough technical support for the Polish MoD’s AW149s, in line with Leonardo and PZL-Świdnik’s commitment to deliver industrial benefits to Poland.
The AW149, already in service with international operators for a range of applications and under evaluation among many countries, is ideally suited to modernise defence helicopter fleets and replace a range of ageing types in the medium weight category. The AW149 is a latest generation multirole military helicopter designed from the outset to meet the most demanding needs of armed forces. The platform can be reconfigured to perform a wide variety of demanding tasks in the toughest operational conditions. The AW149’s advanced equipment, weapons and system technologies, combined with its agility, range/endurance and high power margins, highest levels of safety and survivability, provide defence users with high operational availability, mission effectiveness and cost efficiency of the fleet.
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