Vigili del Fuoco orders 8 AW139s for mountain operations Rome, 05 November 2024 – The Italian National Fire Corps (Vigili del Fuoco, part of the Ministry of the Interior) will introduce eight AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopters in a special configuration dedicated to mountain operations and firefighting. These aircraft, which will add to an existing fleet of 28 AW139s, are expected to be delivered starting before the end of 2025, with handover completion before mid-2026, providing a further boost to mountain rescue operations and countering fire across the country. The Italian National Fire Corps introduced the AW139 to replace the decades-old AB412 helicopters and to guarantee optimal coverage and increased responsiveness across the country. The introduction of the AW139 marks a significant enhancement of airborne multirole capabilities with the world’s most modern helicopter for maritime and mountain Search and Rescue (SAR), medical rescue, firefighting, and disaster relief duties. In this latest special configuration, the Italian National Fire Corps AW139 helicopters feature a wide range of mission equipment for specific tasks, including various optional kits to counter fire. These alternatively encompass a belly tank, a traditional bambi bucket, or a bambi bucket max, allowing multiple water drops with variable water quantity. A hover pump is also available to ease water refilling in confined areas. The 7-tonne AW139 design incorporates a large, spacious cabin accessed by two sliding doors and powerful engines that deliver class-leading performance and safety, making it the aircraft of choice in its weight class. Excellent one-engine inoperative capability ensures the aircraft can accomplish the most demanding missions while maintaining the ability to fly away safely in the rare event of an engine failure. In Italy, the AW139 has also been selected by several Government operators in the military and public service domain and several emergency medical service operators. The various Italian Government operators using the AW139 can benefit from shared logistics, training, and support systems. The total number of AW139s acquired for Government duties in Italy accounts for more than 140 units today, with nearly 30 to be delivered in the short to medium-long term, covering a broad scope of public utility roles, including law enforcement and homeland security, patrol, special operations and anti-terrorism, search and rescue, firefighting, command and control, government/VVIP transport, disaster relief, and training. Many law enforcement and security agencies from countries around the world, including Italy, the UK, the USA, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Sweden, Spain, Estonia, The Netherlands, Brazil, UAE, Oman, and Croatia, have selected or are already operating the AW139 to fulfill their requirements. Around 300 customers from approximately 90 nations have already ordered over 1400 AW139s, more than 1200 of which are in service, confirming itself as the bestselling aircraft in its category.
