AgustaWestland sold $1.3 Billion worth of helicopters to Algeria

AgustaWestland sold $1.3 Billion worth of helicopters to Algeria

11-May-2016 Source: HeliHub.com

Over the last five years, Algeria has received a significant number of helicopters from AgustaWestland, but the manufacturer goes into complete silence mode when asked how many aircraft have been delivered.  No article has been published to date enumerating the extent of this order.

HeliHub.com has thus done a significant amount of research in an attempt to come up with a best estimate for the number of helicopters involved.  This research is based around our usual approach of monitoring individual airframes, both from the MSN and the registration point of view. In fact we source a good proportion of our exclusive stories in this way, which sets us apart from other media outlets in the helicopter industry.  We have also provided links to photos in the internet showing an example of the given helicopter in the role/colours detailed in the text.

Our work suggests that the minimum delivery has included the following

AW101 – total 8 helicopters
Algeria acquired two VVIP AW101 helicopters to replace two nearly-new Airbus EC225s which they decided to park up for reasons best known to themselves.  AgustaWestland took the 225s in part-exchange and still own both of them, having put them quietly in storage at Cassel in Germany.  Additionally, six SAR AW101 Mk.610s were purchased and these are painted grey with bold red SAR
photo of VVIP AW101
photo of SAR AW101

AW109 – total 24 helicopters
Algeria purchased a total of 24 109LUH helicopters.  Ten of these are operated by the Police in a white and blue colour scheme, and these are focused on operations around the major cities of Algeria.  A further fourteen are in a green and white scheme with the Gendarmerie, a military-led force responsible for maintaining law and order in more rural areas, as well as being the face of government authority in remote regions.
photo of Police AW109
photo of Gendarmerie AW109

AW119 – total 8 helicopters
Algeria purchased 8 AW119s, and they are painted in a sand camouflage scheme with a dayglo band round the fuselage
photo of AW119

AW139 – total 20 helicopters
The AW139 is put to many different roles around the world, and has been an extremely successful helicopter.  Algeria is putting the AW139 to work in at least three different roles.  Six aircraft are being operated by the Civil Protection department, although we note that two are in a silver and burgundy scheme while the other four are yellow with burgundy.  There is presumably a difference here which we have not been able to determine.  The Algerian Air Force operates eleven AW139s in the CSAR role, and these are painted in a sand camouflage scheme with a dayglo band round the fuselage.  Finally the Algerian Navy flies three SAR aircraft in a grey scheme with bold red SAR titles.
photo of civil protection AW139 – silver/burgundy
photo of civil protection AW139 – yellow/burgundy
photo of Air Force AW139
photo of Navy SAR AW139

Lynx – total 10 helicopters
The factory at Yeovil built ten Super Lynxes for the Algerian Navy, with four designated Mk.130 in the SAR role painted grey with red, and six Mk.140 which carry light weapons and are in an overall grey scheme
photo of Navy Super Lynx Mk.130
photo of Navy Super Lynx Mk.140

W3 Sokol – total 8 helicopters
Even the Polish factory at Swidnik built helicopters for Algeria, with a total of eight W3 Sokols supplied.  These are painted in a sand camouflage scheme with a dayglo band round the fuselage
photo of Air Force W3

Summary
AW101 x 8
AW109 x24
AW119 x 8
AW139 x20
Lynx x10
W3 x 8

Typically, military contracts will include an aspect of training of both pilots and engineers, and spare parts.  Taking these out of the equation would suggest an estimated total value of the above helicopters in the region of $1.3 Billion, and perhaps 20-40% more than that if training, spares etc is included.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com

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