Cypriot defence ministry signs for three AW139s

By Craig Hoyle

Cyprus has become the latest military customer for AgustaWestland's AW139, with the Mediterranean nation's defence ministry having placed an order for three of the medium-twin helicopters.

AgustaWestland says the 15-seat aircraft will be configured for utility, search and rescue and emergency medical service tasks, but has not revealed a contract value or delivery schedule for the new fleet.

The Cyprus air force has an active rotorcraft inventory of around 12 Mil Mi-35 attack helicopters, four Mi-8/17 transports and four Eurocopter SA342 scouts, according to Flight's HeliCAS database.

Previous military buyers for the AW139 include the Irish Air Corps (aircraft pictured below at the 2007 Paris air show), Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.