Agusta SpA, an AgustaWestland Company, and the Denel Group of South Africa have enhanced their collaboration during the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, when the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) awarded a contract at the Air Show to Agusta for the supply of 20 Agusta A109 Military helicopters.
Denel will be contracted to build the airframes at its Kempton Park facilities for the 20 helicopters ordered by the Swedish FMV, thus expanding on the overall direct South African participation in the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) programme. The signing of the agreement with Denel for the license production and sale of the Agusta A109 LUH, A109 Power and A119 Koala helicopters is expected to follow shortly.
The Agusta and Denel partnership dates back to the Product Supply Agreement for the A109 Light Utility Helicopter programme signed last year. The agreement provides for a phased multiple year programme for the manufacture of the complete A109 LUH airframe and systems installation in South Africa.
Denel Aviation, the leading aerospace division within the Denel Group, will also be involved in the integration of subsystems, manufacture, final assembly, customization engineering and flight testing of 25 of the 30 helicopters for the South African Air Force. The first five helicopters will be produced and assembled in Italy. Already a team of South African technicians and engineers are being trained at the Agusta facilities in Italy for his purpose.
The Swedish contract represents a significant milestone in the Agusta Defence Industrial Participation (DIP) programme linked to South Africa's decision to procure 30 A109 LUH helicopters.
The selection of the Agusta helicopter by FMV follows Agusta's recent successes with the South African Armed Forces, United States Coast Guard, Italian and Nigerian Navy thus establishing the A109 Military as the foremost light twin engine helicopter for military utility and advanced training purposes. It provides further testimony of the A109's competitiveness, versatility and performance. More than 220 A109 Powers have been ordered worldwide since the model's introduction, spanning a broad range of operations, including police, EMS, VIP/Corporate and military applications.
