AB 139 Chalks Up First Pacific Rim Sales

Singapore -- Bell/Agusta Aerospace has disclosed the first sale of its new AB 139 mid-size multi-purpose helicopter to a customer in the Pacific region. Helitech PTY, Brisbane, Australia, signed a purchase agreement for one aircraft at the recent Heli-Expo show in Las Vegas. The AB 139, which was launched as a joint venture project in 1998, is scheduled to make its maiden flight later this year, with first deliveries expected in 2002.

The AB 139 is a highly-flexible, all-new design, aimed at both civil and military customers. To commercial operators, like Helitech PTY, the AB 139 is rapidly re-configurable from standard passenger and utility transport tasks to specialist missions such as EMS, off-shore support, search and rescue, and fire-fighting. The ability to adapt to a wide range of mission criteria is the lynchpin of the AB 139's design and the cornerstone of Bell/Agusta's marketing efforts.