Agusta/Bell Now Boasts Trio of AB139s in Testing

Agusta/Bell is flying three pre-production versions of the new AB139 helicopter, for which the partnership claims upwards of 40 orders from customers in Australia, Europe, Africa, the Far East and the Americas. First flight took place February 3 and aircraft number three flew on October 22.

Certification of the powerful new five-bladed twin is expected under JAR/FAR part 29 regulations next year. A VIP version of the aircraft is offered. Risk-sharing partners include Britain's GKN Westland, PZL Swidnik of Poland, Germany's Liebherr, Japan's Kawasaki of Japan, Honeywell for Primus Epic avionics, and Pratt & Whitney Canada for the AB139's PT6C-67C engines.