Leonardo-Finmeccanica announced today that the AgustaWestland AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopter showed outstanding hot and high altitude performance and mission capabilities during recent trials in Pakistan, reached on a ferry flight from Italy. The trials were conducted in the central desert area of Multan, where temperatures touched 49 °C with the helicopter still being able to take-off at its MTOW, and in the northern areas of the Karakoram Range where the helicopter demonstrated its operational capabilities in hot and high environments.

The extensive flights performed in the high temperature desert areas included demonstrations of the AW139s tactical low level flight capabilities and the ability to shut down and restart engines in just one minute. High altitude performance flights included take-offs and landings on unprepared surfaces at 16,300 feet density altitude and flights at 20,000 ft pressure altitude. The most demanding missions in terms of altitude and temperature were all performed with at least eight passengers and two pilots on board, in a fully mission equipped configuration, including a passenger transport layout with up to 12 seats, air conditioning, a comprehensive avionic package encompassing TCAS II (Traffic Collision Avoidance System), HF radio, plus rescue hoist and cargo hook provisions. The most demanding missions performed also included fuel for well in excess of one hour of flight plus required reserves. The aircraft demonstrated significant power index margins in the most demanding conditions, highlighting its unrivalled performance and handling capabilities in an extremely challenging environment.