Beijing police order AW139s

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FARNBOROUGH, England, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Law enforcement, fire and air rescue missions in Beijing will be conducted using AgustaWestland AW139 medium helicopters.

AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, said the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau signed a contract for the aircraft and, once delivered, they will augment the agency's current fleet of AW109 and CA109 aircraft.

The value of the contract and a delivery date weren't disclosed.

The twin-engine AW139, introduced by AgustaWestland in 2003, has a maximum speed of 193 miles per hour, a service ceiling of 20,000 feet and a range of about 570 miles. It can carry 15 people.

"This latest contract further reinforces AgustaWestland's presence in the Chinese law enforcement market, where the company is the leader with over 70 percent market share, having achieved sales success with the AW119Ke single engine helicopter and the AW109 Power and AW139 twin engine models," the company said.

Company helicopters are being used by law enforcement agencies in seven Chinese provinces.