AgustaWestland AW119Kx helicopter. Photo courtesy AgustaWestland
WASHINGTON, April 14 (UPI) -- The North American subsidiary of AgustaWestland is in talks to form a consortium for training of military and government helicopter pilots.
The consortium -- composed of AgustaWestland, the Bristow Group, Doss Aviation and Rockwell Collins -- would provide a total lifecycle fleet management and training solution for the AW119Kx single-engine helicopter, which would include the provision of training helicopters, simulators, ground instruction, fleet management and maintenance of the aircraft.
"This solution will lift the financial burden of buying -- and ease the burden of supporting -- commercial aircraft for government and military customers with pilot training needs," said Robert LaBelle, chief executive officer AgustaWestland North America. "It will allow them to focus their vital resources on core military missions instead of investing unnecessarily to recapitalize a total end-to-end pilot training system.
"With the contribution of other consortium partners, this solution will also capitalize on AgustaWestland's experience in delivering turn-key support and training solutions on a global basis in both the commercial and government markets."
Added Bristow Group President and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Baliff: "At a time when governments face increased pressure for efficiency and risk management, we can provide outstanding, world-class service that delivers value for money.
"Bristow's reputation for safety leadership and our experience in managing one of the world's largest helicopter fleets includes providing training and support services to military and paramilitary customers in several regions of the world, including for the UK search and rescue contract on behalf of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Together with our consortium partners, we can bring state-of-the-art aircraft with advanced technologies, our industry-leading operational capabilities and training experts to deliver the best possible solution for our customer."
The AW119 is built and assembled at AgustaWestland's U.S. facility in Philadelphia, Penn. It has a maximum speed of 166 miles per hour and a ferry range of over 600 miles. It is in use by government agencies in about a half-dozen countries.
The four companies jointly announced their talks on Monday at the U.S. Navy League's Sea, Air, Space exposition in Washington, D.C.
