AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, showcased its first production AW159 helicopter at the Paris Air Show recently. The UK has ordered 62 AW159s for the Army and Royal Navy to fulfil both over land and maritime missions with a common platform.

The AW159, whilst building on the pedigree of the current Lynx, is a new 6-tonne multi-role military helicopter featuring a new marinised airframe, all new avionics, new mission sensors and new generation weapon systems. The AW159 programme has achieved several major milestones so far in 2011 and continues on time and on budget ready to deliver the first aircraft to the UK Ministry of Defence at the end of 2011. The first production aircraft performed its maiden flight on April 20, 2011 at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility and a further six production aircraft are now undergoing final assembly on a new state-of–the-art assembly line.