Leonardo AW139

Updated: October 2026 – A white-and-red helicopter of the Italian Coast Guard over the Mediterranean, an offshore helicopter on its way to a platform in the North Sea, a dark police aircraft over Amsterdam: very often a Leonardo AW139 is behind it. According to the manufacturer, the twin-engine multirole helicopter from Italy is the best-selling type in its class and flies in many countries for authorities, rescue services and the energy industry. Here you learn how to recognize it with confidence, how to separate it from its siblings the AW169 and AW189 and where you have the best chances of a sighting.

What is the AW139?

The AW139 is a medium twin that sits between light helicopters such as the Airbus H145 and heavy types such as the Sikorsky S-92. Leonardo quotes the maximum takeoff weight at 6,400 kilograms, with 6,800 or 7,000 kilograms certified as options. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turbines with digital engine control, and the cruise speed is 306 km/h according to the manufacturer. The cabin has room for up to 15 passengers, twelve in the offshore configuration.

The story begins in 1997. At the time, Agusta was looking for a modern successor to the helicopters of the Huey generation, that is, types like the Bell UH-1 and its civil offshoots. A year later, Agusta and Bell founded a joint venture from which the AB139 emerged. The first pre-production helicopter lifted off on February 3, 2001, in Vergiate in northern Italy, and the first production aircraft followed in June 2002.

In June 2003 came European certification from the JAA, and in December 2004 that of the American FAA. In 2005 AgustaWestland bought Bell’s 25 percent stake, and the AB139 became the AW139. Since AgustaWestland was renamed, the type has run under the Leonardo brand. You can read more about the group on the page on Leonardo, and more about the engine maker at Pratt & Whitney.

The AW139 is built on two final assembly lines: in Vergiate, Italy, and, since 2007, additionally in Philadelphia in the USA. Suppliers include the Polish Leonardo plant PZL-Świdnik, which manufactures fuselage structures, and Turkish Aerospace Industries.

The three features that are enough to identify it

In the helicopter world, you can easily confuse types of similar size. With the AW139, three observations reliably get you to the answer.

Then there are the proportions: the fuselage looks long and elongated, the cabin has large sliding doors and a row of side windows, and the tail boom is slim and quite long. Confirmation, as always, comes from the registration. Italian civil aircraft carry the prefix I-, Dutch ones PH-, British ones G-. How registrations work is explained in the article Understanding aircraft registrations.

AW139, AW169 or AW189?

Leonardo deliberately gave its helicopter family a similar design: the smaller AW169 and the larger AW189 follow the same design line. All three have five rotor blades, an open tail rotor and retractable wheeled gear. That is exactly what makes identification tricky – here size and proportions decide.

Feature	AW169	AW139	AW189
Weight class	light twin	medium twin (6.4–7 t)	super-medium, clearly heavier
Main rotor blades	5	5	5
Tail rotor	open	open, 4 blades	open
Landing gear	retractable	retractable, sponsons	retractable
Impression in profile	compact	long and elongated	tall and bulky

The AW109 also has retractable gear and comes from the same house. But it is visibly smaller and slimmer, and its cabin has room for only a few passengers. The finder below helps you narrow it down.

You will find more on the siblings on the pages for the AW169 and the AW189. The guide How to recognize helicopter types offers an overview of all common rotorcraft.

Variants at a glance

Over the years, the AW139 has branched out in many directions. For spotters, these designations matter most:

• AB139: the original designation from the partnership with Bell. Early aircraft still appear in registers under it in some cases.
• AW139: the standard civil version, today in many configurations for air rescue, police, offshore and VIP use.
• AW139 Long-Nose: a version with an extended nose.
• AW139M: the basic military version, with equipment for search and rescue missions, among others.
• HH-139, UH-139 and other national designations: for example with the Italian Air Force or police.
• MH-139A Grey Wolf: the version for the US Air Force, which Boeing offers together with Leonardo.

Equipment differs greatly by customer. Among other things, Leonardo offers ice protection for the rotor system, synthetic vision in the cockpit and lidar-based obstacle warning. The avionics Leonardo lists also include ADS-B Out – an advantage when you look for helicopters on the flight tracker.

Where you meet the AW139

The AW139 is a workhorse. Most sightings therefore happen not at terminals but at government bases, coastal stations, offshore heliports and on military airfields.

Italy: In its home country the type is everywhere. The Coast Guard (Guardia Costiera), the financial police (Guardia di Finanza), the state police (Polizia di Stato) and the Air Force with its HH-139s for search and rescue missions use it. Around Milan Malpensa Airport is also the heart of the Leonardo helicopter division with the Vergiate plant – test flights and ferry flights of new aircraft are no rarity in the region. The museum Volandia right at the airport is worth a visit, described as a spot under Volandia at Milan Malpensa Airport.

North Sea and offshore: Offshore operators fly the AW139 to oil and gas platforms and to wind farms. In Germany, Wiking Helikopter Service GmbH operates the type for the energy industry in the North Sea and Baltic Sea; Leonardo reported the delivery of the fourth aircraft to the company at the end of 2020. International offshore companies such as CHC use it as well. How to follow such flights live is shown in the guide Finding helicopters on the flight tracker.

Netherlands and United Kingdom: The Dutch police also use the AW139. In Britain, the Coast Guard (HM Coastguard) and the royal helicopter flight are among the users. If you are traveling to Amsterdam for plane spotting anyway, take a look at the Schiphol guide.

Military: The Irish Air Corps was the first military operator in 2006. Others include the air forces of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Italy as well as the US Air Force with the MH-139A.

Place	Chance of a hit	Why
Italy’s coasts, Italian government bases	high	Coast Guard, police and financial police fly the type
Varese / Malpensa region	medium to high	Leonardo plant in Vergiate, test and ferry flights
Offshore heliports on the North Sea	medium	Energy flights to platforms and wind farms
German rescue and police bases	low	Airbus helicopters dominate here

MH-139A Grey Wolf: the AW139 in uniform

In the USA, the AW139 has become an important military helicopter. In September 2018, Boeing won the competition for the successor to the UH-1N with the AW139-based MH-139A Grey Wolf for the US Air Force. Among other tasks, the Grey Wolf patrols the vast intercontinental missile fields, transports personnel and takes on search and rescue duties. The first operational aircraft arrived at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana in March 2024. The planned quantity was revised downward several times over the course of the program.

For spotters in Europe, the Grey Wolf is a real rarity. If you want to follow US military helicopters, you will find suitable tools in the article Tracking military aircraft online, and the article on US military serials explains the serial system. Before photographing at air bases, take a look at Photographing military airfields: rules.

Spotting with consideration

The AW139 often flies where people need help: in sea rescue cases, accidents or police operations. A few fixed rules apply.

You can read the basics of the legal situation in the article Is plane spotting allowed?. General tips on locations, radio and timing for rotorcraft are collected in the guide Spotting helicopters.

Photo tips especially for the AW139

With helicopters, the shutter speed decides the look of the picture. With very short speeds you freeze the rotor, and the AW139 then looks as if it is about to fall.

The technique is the same as for propeller aircraft; details are in the guide Photographing propellers: the right shutter speed. You find out when the light suits your location with the sun position planner guide.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Conclusion

The AW139 is the helicopter you are most likely to see at work on Europe’s coasts, over Italian cities and at offshore heliports. Five blades, an open tail rotor and wheels in side sponsons give you the type, the proportions separate it from the AW169 and AW189, and the registration provides the confirmation. In Germany it is rarer than the Airbus models – all the nicer when it flies into your lens on the coast or while traveling. If you are just getting started, Plane spotting for beginners helps you begin.