AgustaWestland has reached an agreement to supply 160 AW189s to Rosneft through its HeliVert joint subsidiary with Russian Helicopters. AgustaWestland Photo
Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland has announced that, following an agreement signed on Dec. 29, it will provide 160 AW189 civil helicopters to the oil company Rosneft by 2025. The supply will be provided mainly through HeliVert, a joint venture between Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters (a subsidiary of the corporation Rostec).
HeliVert will be responsible for the final assembly (at its Tomilino plant near Moscow) of the helicopters. The agreement includes the supply of integrated services (maintenance and training) for customers in Russia and CIS countries. With this supply of 160 AW189 civil helicopters, Rosneft will become the primary customer for the AW189 worldwide.
The 8.3-ton AW189 is a new-generation helicopter in the super medium category developed to meet the growing demand in the global market for long-range operations. The AW189 is optimized for offshore transport and search and rescue missions. Certified in early 2014, the AW189 is already in service in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Customers have already ordered over 130 units worldwide so far. The agreement for the local assembly of the AW189 in Russia is a new step forward for HeliVert. The joint venture has been assembling AW139 6.4-6.8 ton helicopters since June 2012. The locally assembled AW139 made its maiden flight in December 2012. In autumn 2014, Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland announced the creation of a maintenance and repair center for AW139 helicopters. Today, the center provides a comprehensive maintenance and repair service to various AW139 helicopters made in Russia or in Italy and operating locally.
