The Presidency will debut with a new helicopter: it is a Leonardo AW 139 VIP

On May 31, it was announced that the Colombian government had a new helicopter that would be intended for the exclusive use of the President of the Republic. It’s a Leonardo AW 139 VIP, a modern airplane. According to authorities, this helicopter was acquired by the Air Force when the policies came into effect after the accident in October 2019 of Bell 412 FACC 006, where six soldiers died in the municipality of Alban (Cundinamarca ).

So far it is known that the new helicopter was brought directly from Europe, but not complete, but in part. The aircraft is expected to be assembled in Colombia by Italian technicians who will carry out the process at the Military Transport Air Command (Catam), located in Bogotá. Assembly will take place during the first two weeks of June and thereafter the aircraft is expected to be painted in Colombian Air Force colors.

Once these processes are completed, a series of test flights will be performed in the helicopter prior to its operational integration. The Leonardo company indicates that this step is routine, because it specifies that the aircraft is completely safe.

“The model has already proven itself for civil transport operations supporting the oil and gas industry, with five units in service used by the main operator Helistar SAS. The AW139 Presidential Helicopter has eight seats in the largest cabin in its class and the highest safety standards, and includes a self-defense suite, typically integrated with other helicopters that serve as transport for heads of state. / government, ”the company said in a press release.

After the entire assembly and testing process is complete, it has been reported that a delivery ceremony for the new presidential helicopter will take place. It should be noted that the aircraft will be operated by Air Force officers trained in March at the Italian-British base of the Leonardo company.

According to the InfoDefensa portal, relevant aspects of the helicopter include: it has a Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67C engine, which generates 1,679 SHP certified for Category A operations, also with a shock absorption system and a retractable landing gear. In addition, it has a battery life of up to five hours, using the Honeywell Primus Epic system, as well as the digital four-axis automatic flight control system (AFCS). It also has Skytrack systems, self-deploying ELTs, Tcas, as well as VOR, ADF, GPS, DME, EGPWS, FMS, TAWS and weather radar navigation equipment.

As for the cabin conditions, it is air conditioned and has the capacity to carry up to 12 passengers in VIP configuration plus two crew members. This space is eight cubic meters by 1.42 meters high.

According to Leonardo, worldwide, more than 280 customers worldwide have placed orders for nearly 1,200 units in more than 70 countries and nearly 1,100 helicopters are in service with more than 2.9 million flight hours logged. nowadays. best-selling aircraft in its category.

“The AW139 sets new standards because of its advanced technology, high performance, reliability, safety, flexibility of functionality and cabin space. Its modern avionics reduce the workload of the crew, allowing the pilot to concentrate on the mission. The aircraft has been a significant success for VIP and government transport tasks around the world thanks to its excellent reliability, safety, comfort, customization and versatility ”, notes the company.

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