Victoria Police Air Wing in Australia has selected three AW139 helicopters as part of a fleet modernisation programme. The rotorcraft will carry out a range of law enforcement, patrol, surveillance and maritime SAR missions from Essendon airport in Melbourne, and will be supplied by StarFlight Victoria.

The AW139s will be delivered from Leonardo's Vergiate final assembly line facility in Italy in late 2019 and will enter service in 2020 following dedicated mission customisation.

Configured for policing operations across the state of Victoria, the aircraft will feature a range of tailored equipment including an advanced mission console, camera, wire cutter and rescue hoist. Nearly 120 civil, public utility and military helicopters of various models have been sold by Leonardo in Australia to date.

The AW139 is part of a family of new generation helicopters that also includes the AW169 and AW189 models, all of which share common flight characteristics, safety features, cockpit layout, design philosophy and maintenance/training concepts. The series is said to be well-suited for law enforcement, EMS and parapublic missions because of its performance, reliability and safety.