According to the People's Army Newspaper, Vietnam has completed negotiations and signed a contract to purchase modern AW-189 transport helicopters from AgustaWestland.
 |
| In an article published on July 30th titled "Leading in Helicopter Supply," which highlighted the achievements of the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation - Ministry of National Defence, the People's Army Newspaper reported that recently, negotiations for a contract to purchase additional AW-189 medium-range helicopters were completed. Prior to this, the website of the Southern Helicopter Company (the southern branch of the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation) posted information stating that Vietnam was purchasing one AW-189, with delivery expected by the end of 2015. |
 |
| The AW-189 is a medium-range transport helicopter manufactured by AgustaWestland, a leading Italian manufacturer of civilian and military helicopters, since 2011. This means the AW-189 transport helicopter was introduced four years ago, making it a very new and modern model in the world. |
 |
| The AW-189 helicopter model was first introduced at the 2011 Paris Air Show and officially made its maiden flight on December 21, 2011. The AW-189 received certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in February 2014 and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March 2015. |
 |
| The AW-189 is considered a civilian variant of the military AW-149, but built on an expanded airframe of the AW-139. AgustaWestland designed the AW-189 targeting customers who wanted a helicopter to support maritime patrol, search and rescue, and passenger transport operations. |
 |
| The AW-189 multi-purpose helicopter has a length of 17.6m, a height of 5.06m, and a payload capacity of 8.3 tons. |
 |
| The aircraft can carry up to 19 people with luxurious and comfortable seating arrangements. |
 |
| A close-up view of the AW-189 helicopter cockpit model that Vietnam purchased. It's clear that it's very simple and modern, with four large LCD screens displaying flight technical parameters. |
 |
| The AW-189 is equipped with two CT7-2E1 turboshaft engines, each with a power of 2,000 horsepower, combined with a five-bladed main rotor and a four-bladed tail rotor. The aircraft can reach a cruising speed of 267-278 km/h, a range of 307-907 km, and has a fuel capacity of 2,063 liters. |
 |
| Despite its recent launch, AgustaWestland has already received orders for 150 helicopters from 10 airlines worldwide. Vietnam will be the 11th customer globally, and the second in Southeast Asia (after Malaysia), to purchase this state-of-the-art helicopter for the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation to serve tourism, oil and gas operations, government delegations, and, when needed, national defense missions. |
According to the People's Army Newspaper
