Colombia expects presidential helicopter this spring
Leonardo AW139 to be used as VVIP transport helicopter; the Italian OEM is also offering the AW139M to the Colombian armed forces.
A new VVIP helicopter for the Colombian Air Force is scheduled for delivery in Q1 or Q2 of this year.
The Leonardo AW139 twin-engine platform will be used as a presidential transport helicopter, the Italian OEM announced on 11 January.
Five AW139s are already used in Colombia by Helistar in the oil and gas industry, but the air force will become the first military operator of the type in the country.
In addition, Leonardo said it is proposing the AW139M military variant to meet the multirole requirements of the Colombian Air Force, Army, Navy and Police.
Panama is the only Latin American country to operate the AW139M to date, according to Shephard Defence Insight.
Colombia currently operates a fleet of more than 100 UH-1H helicopters (designated as Huey II).
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