Leonardo senior executives at Heli-Expo said the company’s rotorcraft development programs are making solid progress while admitting that some prices and wait times have doubled along the supply chain company-wide. However, military sales offset Covid-generated disruptions in civil helicopter production, including the marketing of civil platforms for military and para-public applications on the AW119 and AW139, the latter with a combined fleet that has amassed more than 3.6 million flight hours. In what is perhaps Leonardo’s most successful dual-use program to date, Boeing announced on Tuesday that the first batch of 13 production MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters will commence manufacture. In the U.S. Air Force program, Boeing takes a new-build Leonardo AW139 manufactured in Philadelphia and adds military modifications and mission equipment. Up to 84 MH-139As could be produced during the course of the entire program, the value of which could reach $2.4 billion.
Meanwhile, refinement of in-production aircraft continues, including the development of more than 200 kits for the AW189 super-medium model.
More In Rotorcraft
